


From Roots To Flowers

by Sophitia74



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-04-23 18:12:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 83,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4886743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophitia74/pseuds/Sophitia74
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I got a new idea and took the plunge in starting a new story. :)</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Sunset Flower Shop

**Author's Note:**

> I got a new idea and took the plunge in starting a new story. :)

Ali cleaned up any soil on the counters of the store greenhouse. It was near closing time and she just wanted to go home. She organized the last of the potted plants and was in the process of removing her gardening gloves when the store phone shrilled through the flowershop as it rang. Ali quickly maneuvered her way around flower pots that lined the floors and both finished and unfinshed bouquets on the counters. She almost slipped on a few scraps of parchment and cellophane wrappers and grabbed the phone right before it went to the store voicemail.

Ali smoothed strands of her dark hair behind her ear, "Hello and good evening, this is Ali from the Sunset Flowershop." Ali said in her happiest voice she could muster. Today just wasn't a good day, she was swamped with plenty of orders and she knew this phone call wasn't going to be any different. Not to mention the fact that it was already late into the day, and an order of flowers was the last thing she wanted to do. All she wanted was a nice hot bath and a cup of Chamomile tea, not to mention People's magazine. 

"Yea hello?" The voice on the other line said.

"Yes, I'm still here. How can I help you?" Ali quickly asked, knowing that her pause earlier might've gave the caller the thought that she hung up. 

"Okay, well I wanted to order some flower bouquets." The women informed. 

"Sure. What kind would you like?" Ali asked while moving over to the counter to grab a pen and notepad to take down the order. 

"I need 30 bouquets of Lantanas and Cannas, mixed together, not separate. And just one bouquet of white roses." The woman rattled off.

Ali listened and finished writing up the order, "Where should I deliver these to? And I'll need your name as well."

"Have it delievered to 562 Surfs Drive, and my name is Ashlyn Harris." Ashlyn said into the phone. "I need them tonight and will pay extra to have them delievered tonight."

"Okay great! That's all I need, they should be delivered in less than 20 minutes." Ali smiled before hanging up with a groan. This was a large order, one that she was going to have to take care of by herself since more than half of her staff was out with the flu. There were only three workers in today, whom already had a list filled with order deliveries, so if Ali waited on them to get back then the order would definitely be late. That was something her flower shop never did. So she neatly gathered the flowers and wrapped them into the amount she needed. She also took enough white roses to make the one bouquet the woman wanted. Once she was finshed, she placed all of the bouquets into her own personal car; since all the delivery vans were out, and began the drive up to the residence. 

Ali was quite surprised when she pulled into the driveway of a very modern beach house that had to have cost millions. She blinked a few times to stop her ogling, before shuting off the car and knocking on the front door. She could hear loud house or trance style music blasting through the closed doors and wondered if she came to the right place, especially when the front door opened and a very large man with an impressive beard and a mean face appeared in front of her. 

Ali gulped before finding her voice and speaking. When it came out all squeaky and the man narrowed his eyes, Ali thought she was as good as dead. 

"Excuse me, but does Ashlyn Harris live here?" Ali asked with a timid smile, praying to god that the man says no so that she could leave. 

"Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. What's it to yah?" The mean grumbled with a booming voice.

"She ordered flowers, I'm here to deliver them." Ali clarified while looking around the man and seeing a living room packed with people who held red Solo cups and danced pretty wildly to the music. It had to be a house party, there was no other reason for that many drunk people in one room, and by the looks of it it had to be illegal according to a few laws in Florida.

Two large fingers snapped in front of Ali's face, bringing her out from her thoughts. 

"Hey Miss!" The large man yelled, his breath smelling heavily of beer and cigarettes. "Does this look like the kind of place where flowers are delivered to, because I don't-"

"Whoa Cole, calm down. What's the problem out here?" A blonde haired woman dressed in tight black jeans and an open white long sleeve shirt, showcasing her dark blue sports bra and a defined abdomen. 

"This lady has the wrong address! Coming here talking about flowers?! I know for sure you didn't buy any damn flowers." Cole bellowed while laughing. 

"They're for my mother you dumbass." The blonde says as she harshly slaps Cole on the back of the head before shoving him back into the house. "Sorry about that, I'm Ashlyn Harris, I ordered the flowers." She ended with a smile after looking Ali up. 

"Yes, the bouquets are in the back. But uh it seems like you're pretty busy. Maybe I should come back tomorrow morning." Ali chuckled, hitching a thumb towards the direction of the living room. 

"Nah. Let's being these inside." Ashlyn stated and walked over to Ali's car while buttoning up her shirt. She leaned on the side of car, watching Ali unlock the doors and bringing out the order. Her eyes skimmed over Ali's backside with a faint smile ghosting over her lips, but quickly averted her gaze when Ali pulled out the bouquets. 

"If everything looks like it's in place, then sign here and I can help you bring it inside." Ali informed while pointing out the signing spot on the order sheet. 

Ashlyn looked over her order twice before signing the document, she gathered most of the bouquets and headed back towards the beach house. "Come on, I'll show you where to put it." 

Ali nodded and followed her into the large beach house, she stuck out like a sore thumb with her light green flower shop shirt with the logo largely placed on the back. Nonetheless she followed Ashlyn, squeezing through drunk party goers, Ashlyn even had to push quite a few away so they didn't crush the bouquets in her arms. Ashlyn led Ali through the living room, down a long hallway with plenty of doors, and into a sunroom adorned with expensive furniture and tables and a few potted plants. The room was beautiful, despite it being late into the evening which defeated the entire purposes of the room, but it did however give you a grandeur view of the house deck and the ocean in the background. 

"Just lay it down here." Ashlyn pointed to a long sun bed where she began laying them down. 

Ali followed suit, although she laid them down in a more delicate fashion. From the corner of her eye she could see Ashlyn watching her and it bothered her. It was bad enough that her ears we're being murdered by the loud house music blasting through the residence, now she had this woman staring pretty intently at her ass. 

Ali rolled her eyes before turning around and pulling out her portable credit card scanner. She hid her scowl so as to not upset her customer, and somehow found a way to politely smile. "I'm going to need you to swipe your card for the payment. And I'll be out of your hair."

Ashlyn just reached behind her back and produced her wallet. It unnerved Ali, how Ashlyn didn't say a word while going through her motions and looking into her eyes. When Ashlyn finally broke eye contact, Ali held the scanner out at arms length. Ashlyn closed the space between them and swiped her card. Ali made sure that the card went through and smiled once it did. 

"You should be getting an email confirmation that contains your receipt. It was a pleasure doing business with you." Ali stated and put the scanner away getting ready to leave but stopped short when hand gently held her wrist. She knew who the hand belonged to, she just want sure why she was being stopped. But turned around anyways to gave the blonde. 

"Don't you want to stay for the party? I could get you a drink or something." Ashlyn shrugged but there was clear desire housing in her now darkened hazel eyes. 

Ali freed her wrist before shaking her head. "No, sorry. I have to go. But once again thank you for choosing Sunset Flower Shop." She managed to weave her way through the party goers, narrowly missing a unmistakably drunk man with a lampshade on their head before she made it out the beach house and to her car. She was about ready to pull out from the driveway until the blonde stopped her for the second time tonight. 

Ali shut off her car and watched the blonde jog over to her with a single white rose in her hand. "I wanted you to have this. I know it came from your workplace but um, I want you to take it. Goodnight Ali." She said it with such confidence that Ali omitted the "um" in her words. 

Ali took the rose and smiled, "Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your night." Ali started back up her car and leaving the residence. There was no way that she was going to let some teenage acting, party throwing blonde hit on her. She knew that Ashlyn must've already got a few looks at her ass, so she wasn't going to stick around and entertain her hopes.

Ali exited her car at her flower shop, smiling when she saw all three delivery vans parked. She never liked making her employees work late but sometimes it had to be done. She entered the store, making sure everything was properly put in place before nodding in satisfaction and locking up the store. Heading home was the only thought on her mind, especially when a hot bath and a cup of tea was awaiting her.


	2. Jesse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished editing this one :) another one will most likely be added later today.

Ali slinked out of her bed and quickly took a shower. She dried off, tossing her towel to bed and grabbing her work clothes, dark blue skinny jeans and the flower shop polo shirt. She slipped into her bra and underwear, followed by her jeans when she felt warm arms encircle her waist. 

"Hmm, you weren't supposed to be here when I woke up, Jesse." Ali joked but seriousness was laced in with it.

"I couldn't stay away." Jesse smiled into Ali's neck while placing an open mouth kiss there as well.

Ali rolled her eyes at the woman and removed her arms. She grabbed her work shirt from the bed and pulled it over head, and ruffled her already towel dried hair. "Did you at least make breakfast?"

Jesse plopped down onto Ali's bed and shrugged. "I didn't know if you wanted breakfast. I mean, I already ate plenty last night." She winked but quickly fell backwards in an attempt to dodge Ali's purse from smacking her upside the head.

"Go make me some." Ali said while grabbing her hairbrush to brush out a few knots and give her hair the signature wavy look. When Jesse didn't answer her, Ali turned around and straddled the woman on the bed, pushing her down by her shoulders and ghosting her lips over the other woman's. "Make me some breakfast or-" Ali took Jesse's hand and guided it into her jeans and past her underwear, "you'll never come near this again."

Jesse visibly gulped and nodded. "I'll make it." She said in a breathy voice before reaching up to pull Ali's face closer to her own and kissing Ali hard, moving the hand that was already in her pants. Ali kissed back for a little bit, working the woman up before pulling away with a chuckle. 

"Breakfast first. Besides, I'm running late." Ali stated and pecked her lips before getting off her lap and walking back into the bathroom. 

"Your a tease Ali." Jesse grumbled before making her way to the kitchen to start on a quick breakfast.

"And you love it!" Ali called back before starting on her makeup. 

Ali's and Jesse's relationship was a bit unconventional to most people. They met because of mutual friends setting them up on a date. Ali was already into the beginning of her flower shop business which never gave her the opportunity to go out on dates. But due to Ali's best friend's constant complaints, she finally agreed to go out on the blind date. However, despite the fact that she came into it open minded, she and Jesse just didn't fit as a couple. They were better off as friends, who had an insane amount of physical attraction towards each other. And as time went on they agreed to move in with each other as roommates, both had their own rooms but still hooked up every now and them. They both understood there was no feelings attached to their relationship, that's why it never went anywhere further than friendship and sex. But some times they did wonder if any feelings might've aroused during the course of their actions, but if any had, none made any move to admit it.

Ali put the finishing touches on her makeup and pulled her hair into a ponytail before grabbing her purse and going into the kitchen. Jesse already had a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast ready for her on the counter. 

"So who gave you the white rose last night?" Jesse pointed to the flower on the living room table.

Ali snorted, "She was just some customer that checked out my ass the entire time." She sat back and watched the red head for any indication of jealousy. 

Jesse held up her hands in defense once she saw the look. "Hey, I'm not jealous. I'm just wondering. Besides, I can't blame her for staring, it is a nice ass."

"Sure." Ali laughed and finished up her breakfast. She grabbed her purse and ring of keys. "Thanks for the breakfast hon."

Jesse chuckled before pulling Ali back to her, "I'm serious. If you find someone, I'd support you Ali."

"Okay, Jess. But still, she's not my type. Stared at my ass the entire time." Ali pointed out. "Come by for lunch, I wouldn't mind some company that isn't flowers."

"Sure. I'll drop by at 12?" 

"That's good. See you then." Ali smiled with a kiss to her cheek before heading out for work. 

~~~

Ali spent the beginning hours of work pruning thorns from a few newly grown rose bushes. Ali was the main one that worked the greenhouse which was where most of the gardening took place. She believed that it took more than a few months to actually learn the art of gardening, that's why none of employees did it. However, her other workers were completing and taking orders before they were to be delived.

Once the clock hit time for lunch, Ali sent her workers out for a lunch break and flipped the store sign to "closed for lunch". She grabbed her phone before texting Jesse where she was going for lunch, and left the store. 

Ali had already ordered for herself, and smiled when she saw Jesse come in, especially with one of their best friends; Megan, aka Pinoe. She quickly stood and hugged the two women, making sure to ruffle Pinoe's short blonde hair. 

"Okay okay, calm down you mad woman." Pinoe joked before sitting down at the restaurant table. 

When the waiter came by both Jesse and Pinoe have their orders and watched him leave. 

"Soo-" Pinoe said as she drummed on the table looking at the women between them. 

Ali took a sip from her wineglass and responded. "So what?"

"Are you two still screwing around with no strings attached?" Pinoe asked with an amused look.

"We're fine Pinoe, jeez. We're both happy with the way things are and that's that." Ali stated and looked to Jesse for support.

Jesse seemed a bit lost in thought before a nudge from Ali brought her back to the present. "What? What's up."

"Our relationship is quite good, isn't it?" Ali whispered. 

"Oh yea, we're totally good Pinoe. Don't even worry about it." Jesse waved off. "Besides, Ali might have an admirer anyways."

Pinoe turned to Ali with wide eyes. "Do tell."

"Ugh" Ali groaned, "She was just a customer that kept staring at my ass. And like I told this gym rat-" Ali made a point to twist the skin on Jesse's well muscled arms. "She was not my type at all."

"Why not?" Pinoe asked and quickly thanked the waiter when the food was brought over, already shoving some in her mouth.

"Guys does it matter? It was just one person out of millions, not the woman of my dreams." Ali all but grumbled before taking a large gulp of her wine.

"We're just teasing you Al, but seriously, you two cannot keep your casual escapades up forever. I'd like to think that you both would want to find someone for the long run." Pinoe said seriously. 

"We're okay Pinoe, really." Jesse smiled. "Now before Princess here blows her top because we keep teasing her, how about we change the topic." She gave Ali a little bump with her shoulder and a smile.

Ali leaned her head onto Jesse's shoulder and sighed. Pinoe just nodded and decided to break any tension there might've been. 

"Let's go to the club after you get off work of course. What you say Al?" 

"That'd be great." Ali answered. 

"Good, I'll send you deets. Just make sure you two are there." Megan said and blew a kiss before grabbing her jacket and leaving. 

"That bitch." Ali chuckled. 

"What?" Jesse said with a mouthful of soup. 

"She left without paying for her crap."

"That's Pinoe for ya, but if anything I'll make sure she buys us drinks all night long." Jesse winked.


	3. Blonde at the Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here yall go :D

Ali threw her purse down on her bed and fell face first into her pillow. She groaned when she heard Jesse walk in, she groaned louder when she felt the bed dip. She turned her head to and took in Jesse's form, the red head was dressed in loose black jeans and a body clinging red shirt, her hair was hanging down loose as did most of the time. 

"I don't feel like going out right now." Ali mumbled into the pillow. 

Jesse kicked off her boots and laid down next to her. She pulled Ali in close, tucking Ali's face into her neck and kissing the top of the brunette's head. "What's going on Al?"

"There was so much crap to do, maybe because Valentines Day is coming up. Now I'm tired and I really don't feel like going to the club." Ali mumbled while playing with the dark red strands of Jesse's hair. 

"We don't have to stay long, and then when we get home I will personally help you relax." Jesse said with a low voice and ghosted her hands from Ali's jean clad thighs up into her shirt and to her bra covered breasts. She gave then a squeeze and nibbled on Ali's earlobe. 

Ali let out a breathy sigh and pushed her ass into Jesse's front. "If you start this we'll never leave." 

"Then we'll continue this when we get back." Jesse kissed her neck and rolled off the bed. "Get ready in 20 Al."

Ali groaned once more before dragging herself to her closet and bringing out her short black dress, it wasn't revealing but it was eye catching. She took a quick shower, got dressed, touched up her make up, and met Jesse in the kitchen. 

Jesse and Pinoe were already drinking a bit when Ali walked out. "Are you two gonna get drunk here, or are we gonna go?"

"Says the woman that took eternity to get ready and tried to squeeze in a quickie." Pinoe said with narrowed eyes and downed her drink. "Let's go Sweetcheeks."

~~~

All three women exited the car at the very popular club. There were wait lines, the best alcohol, best music, and not to mention a few famous or rich people that came by the club. Ali wasn't someone to ogle at a few famous individuals, but they tended to be stupid and arrogant, which did in turn get Ali quite a few drinks from them. And free drinks was a good night as long as said famous/rich persons didn't expect something at the end of the night. 

Pinoe led them to front of the already extensively long wait line for the club. She whispered something to the bouncer at the entrance, he gave them a quick once-over before raising up the velvet rope and letting them inside. 

"Enjoy yourselves ladies." The bouncer smiled. 

The women followed Pinoe inside stopping by the bar first to order their drinks. The club was definitely high-end, from the air around the people and the club to the brands of drinks thay lined the bar area. 

"How'd you get us in here?" Ali asked while sipping on her drink. Pinoe led them to a VIP looking area before having a seat and pointing to the other seats. 

"I know a few connections." Pinoe smiled with a few eyebrow waggles.

"I'm guessing it has to do with someone you slept with, huh." Jesse laughed.

There was no surprise with Pinoe's taste in women. She usually went for the women who had an expensive purse and a large bank account. Ali and Jesse did try to wean Pinoe off of it, because the last time Pinoe dated someone that fit her tastes, the girl got crazy jealous of almost everything, which led to a breakup and a very vindictive rich girl that had a habit of trashing people on social media. But despite that all happening, Pinoe still stuck true to her dating preferences. 

Pinoe faked an appalled gasp, causing both Ali and Jesse to snicker. "I'm offended that you would think that. But contrary to popular belief it had nothing to do with someone I slept with. A friend owns the place and hooked me up, seriously."

"Okay, just don't expect us to dry you off when a past hook up dumps her drink on you." Ali teased while stirring her drink. 

"Well it's a pity that we all can't have a hook up relationship like you and Jesse." Pinoe quppied with heavy sarcasm and stood. "Anyways I'm gonna go mingle, you two should try to do the same and find other people to get laid with that's not each other." She finished with a wink and disappeared into the sea of people. 

Ali knocked back the rest of her drink and smiled to Jesse, "Time to mingle." She went straight into the dance floor, dancing a bit provocatively on a few people but it was all in name for a good night out. She didn't want to think about the work that's be awaiting her the next morning, she just wanted a good time, and she could honestly care less if it got her laid or not. 

Ali switched between dance partners quite frequently, never wanting to stay with someone too long, especially if they had the impression that she'd bend over for them in the club restroom. She amassed quite a number of free drinks from some clubbers but already had enough in her system to wake up with a minor headache in the morning. She flicked her eyes down to her watch and internally groaned at how late it was getting, as much as she didn't want to think of work, she had too. Ali set out on leaving the dance floor but when a song shift came on she was a trapped between dancing bodies. 

She felt someone come up behind her, they were moving their front against her ass, and she rolled her eyes thinking it was Jesse because of their forward nature. So she humored her by grinding her ass on them, moving her arms backwards to lace it around their neck and keep their bodies close. Ali could feel their hot breath on her neck and hands lightly gripping her waist holding her close to them. They danced together until the song ended, Ali pulled away but got the sense that Jesse didn't want it end. She turned around and her amused expression dropped; it was the woman from the house party but she couldn't remember her name for the life of her.

"You're the woman from yesterday, the one with the big guy at her door." Ali pointed out with wide eyes.

"Whoa, small world huh? I didn't expect you to be here, more or less dance on me." Ashlyn chuckled. 

"I thought you were someone else." Ali stepped back a little to get some distance between the both of them, but failed miserably when she was pushed back even closer to Ashlyn by a drunk dancer. She held onto the blonde's shoulders so she didn't faceplant into her chest. Ashlyn's hands immediately held her by the waist.

"Was I a good substitute?" Ashlyn asked, making sure her lips ghosted over Ali's ear. She smirked when she felt the brunette shudder, and lowered her hands a smidge on her hips.

"I've had better." Ali said in an unconvincing voice. She back away once again, this time successfully. 

"You're not staying again?" Ashlyn asked while crossing her arms over her chest, making her biceps flex a bit.

Ali stared, who the hell was kidding when she claimed Ashlyn wasn't her type? The blonde was definitely attractive, not to mention from what she could tell had an incredible body. She had great taste in clothing, even something as simple as a black shirt and jeans looked incredible on Ashlyn. However her internal monologue of drooling was cut short due to a pair of familiar arms going around her waist from behind, the familiar scent let her know it's Jesse.

"What's going here?" Jesse asked while keeping her stance closely behind Ali. 

"I was just talking to a beautiful lady. But maybe she's spoken for." Ashlyn stated, but there was a look of a challenge housed in her eyes, one that Ali could see as Ashlyn stared her down.

"I'm not spoken for, but surely you didn't think you had a chance with me." Ali smiled back and turned to leave.

"Don't I get a phone number to atleast try?" Ashlyn shouted over the music.

"Maybe some other time." Ali shouted back and started walking back to their VIP area. Jesse was quick to fall in stride with her, her arm never leaving Ali's waist.

"Who was that?"

"Just someone that thought they'd get lucky." Ali said briefly wanting the subject to change, while she pushed her way through people.

"She kind of seemed to know you, correct me if I'm wrong." Jesse spoke up once again.

"Jesse I really don't know what you want me to tell you. I don't really know her." Ali admitted while looking into the woman's clear blue eyes. She wanted to put the discussion to bed because she honestly didn't know what to tall the red head. So she stood on her toes and placed a chaste kiss to her lips before turning around and seeing both Pinoe and the blonde from the dance floor, in their VIP area and watching them. She tried to hide her surprise as she and Jesse walked over to them.

Pinoe whispered something in the blonde's ear before quickly waving them over. "Guys this is Ashlyn Harris, she's the friend that got us in here. Ashlyn here is the owner of the place and decided to help a good friend out."

"Technically I own the place, but I bought it for a close friend of mine." Ashlyn clarified. 

Jesse stepped forward first and shook Ashlyn's hand. "Well it's nice to meet you, thanks for getting us in this place. I'm Jesse by the way."

"Ahh no problem, a friend of Pinoe's is a friend of mine." Ashlyn smiled but had her eyes directed at Ali. 

"I'm Ali, but I'm sure you remember."

"I do. I hope you still have that rose, even though you probably grow thousands." Ashlyn smiled.

"It might've found the trash, I can't quite remember." Ali quipped. 

Ashlyn smirked and crossed her arms with a hard stare. "Did you."

Both women had their entire attention on each other, completely forgetting Jesse and Pinoe. It was like they both kept trying to one-up each other in the conversation, which was looking a lot like flirting to the common spectator. 

"I still have it." Ali admitted. 

Ashlyn grinned and stepped closer to Ali, "So how about a give and take situation. You took my rose and I want your number in exchange."

"You're persistent aren't you?" Ali asked casually with a raised eyebrow. 

"Only with beautiful women."

Ali giggled and shook her head. She grabbed her clutch and tapped Jesse's shoulder, signaling it was time to go. "My original answer still stands, maybe next time Ashlyn." She waved goodbye to both Pinoe and Ashlyn, ending with a little wink to Ashlyn. 

Jesse saw the exchange and intertwined hers and Ali's hands, leading them out of the club and into an awaiting cab. The entire ride back to their apartment was silent, once they arrived Jesse paid and pulled Ali inside, pushing Ali onto the wall and kissing her deeply the moment they got inside, not giving Ali a chance to remove her heels or even put down her clutch. 

"Oh my gosh, what's going on Jess?" Ali breathed out while Jesse attacked her neck with open mouthed kisses. 

"I said we were going to finish this up when we got home." Jesse smirked as she carried Ali into her own room and dropped her onto the bed, quickly covering Ali's body with her own. "So that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Ali sat up, reached behind her back to unzip her dress. "Show me." She bit her bottom lip as she slipped out of her dress and pulled Jesse up between her legs. She could tell there was a difference in the way Jesse was behaving, maybe she was jealous or maybe not. All Ali cared to know was that she liked where things were heading. The extra aggressiveness and forward behavior definitely was welcomed in Ali's eyes. 

Jesse stared into Ali's eyes while she removed her own clothing. She cupped her cheek and joined their lips in a bruising kiss. She reached her other hand down into Ali's lacy panties as she kissed down her chest. Jesse pulled back into a sitting position, Ali already knew what Jesse was planning on doing, so she climbed onto her lap, straddling the red head. Ali brushed the long dark red hair behind her ears and kissed her softly. "What are you waiting for?" 

"That blonde was the one who gave you the rose. And you're sure you don't know her?" Jesse asked for the third time today. 

Ali just grinned, reached down for Jesse's hand, holding it still before she sank down onto her fingers with a soft moan. "I don't get why you're so caught up in that, because the last time I checked, I'm naked in your lap, riding your fingers." Ali smirked and rocked her hips for an added effect. Once she saw Jesse's usually clear blue eyes darken, she knew she had woman hooked.

"Ali" Jesse breathed into Ali's chest as she moved her hips to aid in the movement of her fingers. Ali's head was buried in her shoulder, but the brunette's moans in her ear was enough to thrust faster. Once she felt Ali's walls tightening, she removed her fingers and pushed Ali to lie down.

"God Jesse don't tease me please." Ali looked on with darkened brown eyes hoping that the red head would just be straightforward in her advances. If there was one thing that Ali could say she hated with a passion, it was being teased during sex. A bit ironic seeing as it is also one of her major turn ons, she just didn't have the patience to go through it. So when the red head decided to only lay kisses over her body deliberately skipping over the places that would sate her pleasure, Ali took it upon herself to get her own self off. So she pushed Jesse off of her and made a showing of dragging her finger down her body, through her folds making sure they were covered in her juices before pushing her own fingers insides and began driving herself towards an orgasm. Once Jesse caught on, she immediately stopped her, and pushed her own fingers inside.

Ali drew in a sharp intake of breath and tangled her hands into the dark red head below her. "Fuck, Jess keep going. I'm so close." Her hips were almost moving automatically to meet Jesse's advances. One last flick of Jesse's tounge and curl of her fingers, had Ali hurtling over the edge with a yell.

"I think I did well." Jesse stated as she moved up Ali's body. 

"You did" Ali smiled and rolled over to check the time. "But now I need a shower and sleep." She moved to exit the bed but Jesse pulled her back down into her arms.

"Just sleep here." Her piercing blue eyes staring into Ali's own eyes. 

Ali was about to disagree because they never slept over after having sex, they each went to their respective beds and slept there. She didn't get Jesse's reasoning for wanting her to sleep over, but judging from the hold Jesse had on her, she figured one night together couldn't hurt. So she made herself comfortable in the red head's arms and began to fall asleep. She could almost swear that she heard Jesse mutter something but wasn't quite sure what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry this ending won't be a recurring thing, I promise :)


	4. No Negotiations

Ashlyn's eyes followed Ali as she left the club, she licked her lips and turned back to her drink on the table. She turned around to face Pinoe. "How come you never told me about Ali?"

Pinoe stared wide eyed at her, "You flew in yesterday, how was I supposed to know? Besides from the looks of it, you two already know each other." 

"I met her at my house party when she was delivering flowers for my mom." 

"Oh! You're the customer who stared at her ass the entire time." Pinoe remembered. 

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes, "It wasn't the entire time, just when the moment presented itself. Anyways let's forget about that and move to the main point."

"Which is?"

"Is Ali single?" Ashlyn asked while attempting to not pay so much attention to the question and more to her shot glass of tequila she ordered.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're interested in someone." Pinoe began teasing but quickly stopped when she saw the Ashlyn's face. She sipped her drink to form the right words. "Ali's single but uh-"

"That chick Jesse is her ex and won't leave huh?" Ashlyn stated. 

"Nooo, Ali and Jesse are friends, never dated but uh... I don't think it's my place to say what's going on between them, you know." Megan said. 

"Well as much as I love you honoring your friend code, it isn't doing much for me." Ashlyn rolled her eyes at the short haired blonde. "Where does she work? Maybe I can drop by and say hello."

Pinoe guffaw at Ashlyn's choice of words. "What are you from the 70s? Besides she works at Sunset Flower Shop in case you didn't see the big ass logo on her back that day she delivered flowers to you. As for her number, no can do, she'll kick my ass if I tell you."

"Sacrifice for me." Ashlyn joked. 

"Go to hell first." Megan joked as well. "But on a serious note, you just might have a chance with her. I think she could use a _real_ relationship, god knows I've been advocating for it."

Ashlyn was about to break out in a smile when her Grandma's face appeared on her phone screen. "Hold on Pinoe, G-Ma's calling."

Ashlyn stood off to the side near the back door to hear her grandma more clearly. She stood through the scolding of missing family dinner, and how much she wanted to see her since she had flown into Florida just yesterday. When Ashlyn tried to apologize, her grandma wasn't having it, she scolded her for a while longer and told her to make sure she came by before the end of the night. The only words Ashlyn was able to get in was "Love you gram, I'm coming right now".

Ashlyn walked back over to Pinoe and hitched her thumb at the exit. "Sorry but I have to go, family stuff."

"Yea yea, no worries, go ahead." Pinoe waved her off. "I've had a pretty green eyed woman looking like she wanted to jump my bones since I walked in. If you know what I mean."

"You dog you." Ashlyn laughed and gave her a goodbye hug. She tipped the bouncer on her way out and hopped into her sports car, she revved the engine a few times for the heck of it before driving off in the direction of her parent's house. Once she arrived, she rang the doorbell to the Florida style mansion. The head butler let her inside with a smile and brought her into the living room where her family were. 

Ashlyn first kissed each parent and grandparent on the cheek before taking a seat on an expensive recliner. She drummed her fingers on the arm. "So gram what was so important that I had to come over tonight?"

"How are you doing Ashlyn, hopefully no more partying and police visits?" Grandma Harris asked, giving her grandchild a look that knew everything. 

"I uh I've been doing fine gram. Just got back from England and everything looks good out there." Ashlyn said while picking at her fingers. 

"Is that so? I got a call from a few people saying that you spent quite a good amount of time partying it up." Grandma Harris pointed out. "Your father sent you to England to talk to potential partners for the company, instead you spent 80 percent of your time drinking and partying."

"Gram, I didn't-"

"Ashlyn I love you, you're my grandbaby, but your head's not in the right place." She stated while knitting something. 

"Your grandmother is right, Ashlyn. Chris has his priorities straight, but you I'm not so sure of. I want you to take over our company but I need you to be completely reliable." Ashlyn's dad added. 

"So why can't Chris take over instead. I'll just help out." Ashlyn suggested, she didn't know where this conversation was headed but she didn't have a good feeling about it. 

"We all know that you're better at this than Chris." Ashlyn's mom said. 

Chris just rolled his eyes in the background and tabled his beer bottle. "Can you guys just tell her what yall discussed so I can go home? I have a family you know." He said with some frustration in his tone. 

"What are you guys talking about?" Ashlyn looked around curiously. "Dad, mom, grandma? Chris?!"

"We need you to get serious about everything" Ashlyn's dad said.

"What does that mean?!" Ashlyn shouted, she was getting frustrated with everyone in the room. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, "You guys are freaking me out here!"

Grandma Harris sighed and placed her knitting materials on the small table next to her. "Sweetheart, I want you to find a nice girl and marry her. Chris was just as rambunctious as you, but look what his wife Linda has done for him, a lot if you ask me. We think the same could be done for you."

"I don't need to get married Gram, I'm fine." Ashlyn said with a voice that sounded like she pleading.

"Ashlyn, you're 27, not 20 in college. I need you level-headed in order to take over the company." Grandma Harris pointed out. "Find a girlfriend, and get married, once you do, you'll get the company for yourself. Your mom and dad are looking to retire soon."

"What if I don't want to get married?" Ashlyn choked out.

"Then we'll cut you off. I can't have you wasting money on house parties, sports cars, and whores." Grandma Harris said. "I'll give you a year to two years, nothing more nothing less. Oh and if you don't pick someone, we'll do it for you." She stood up slowly from her seat and kissed her daughter's cheek before leaving the room. "Goodnight Sweetheart."

The rest of the family members left the room as well, giving a speechless Ashlyn goodnights and kisses to the cheek before leaving her alone in the living room. She blew out an exasperated breath before getting up and leaving her family home. She drove back to her beach house and made a drink of scotch. She sat on the bar stools at her counter swirling the ice in her drink with her fingers. It wasn't like needed money, but her family's company was all she knew, their entire family going back to her great-grandparents were in the corporate world, they established the family company and everyone born in no the family had to work within it. 

She wasn't even put off by the thought of marriage either, she just didn't want it now. She was fine with the way her life was now. She wanted to date people at her own speed, not be given a time frame on when to act. However, despite her family's proposal, she already had someone that she had her eyes on. She knocked back her scotch before heading to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to throw another curve ball in sometime ;)


	5. Here's My Number

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just got out of Pysch class, so here's an chapter

Ali woke up still in the arms of Jesse, except somehow in her sleep she rolled around into the red head's naked chest. She grumbled as she fully woke up, pulling free from Jesse's arms and getting into the shower. She went back into the bedroom covered with the towel and stared down at Jesse.

"I know you're not still sleeping, Jess." Ali ran her hands through her wet hair and took a seat at the foot of the bed. 

"Maybe because you woke me up. You move too much in your sleep." The red head chuckled.

Ali just sighed and turned fully to face her, "Jesse, do you like me?"

"You're my friend so I'm inclined to say yes." 

"I mean as in having feelings feelings for me." Ali clarified. "I don't know, I just think last night felt different, almost intimate. That never happens between us."

Jesse stayed quiet, the only thing she did do was stare holes into the black duvet she owned. Ali needed to hear Jesse say that nothing had changed between them, because she liked the hooking up part of their relationship, but if Jesse was developing feelings for her, then everything would have to end. The silence was making her think that they made a mistake agreeing to something like this. Maybe they should've stayed friends, maybe Pinoe was right. 

"Jesse answer me." Ali almost pleaded.

"We're okay Al. I mean it. I guess I just think Ashlyn's grade A douchebag material and don't want to see you get hurt. I care about your wellbeing even if we're not in a relationship, you're still my friend." Jesse smiled as she took Ali's hand, rubbing her palm with her thumbs. 

Ali smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek, Jesse moved her head and caught her lips instead. "Okay. I have work, so I'm heading over there now. I'll see you later."

Ali was halfway through the door when Jesse called her back. "Hey Ali, how do you get cum stains out of black bedsheets?"

"Gross, Jess."

"It's yours."

Ali gave her a playful middle finger before going into her own bedroom. 

~~~

Ali slid her keys into front door and saw a black sports car stop on the curb next her. She had watched enough crime shows to know something about it felt odd, so she quickly unlocked the store door and slipped in. She always came in an hour before her employees to get everything ready, so locking the door behind her was a definite must. She felt her phone vibrate and the screen blinked on, showing a message of "open the door" from an unknown number. 

"What the hell." Ali mumbled and pulled the slit of the blinds open and came face to face with a familiar face. "Oh for God's sakes." She unlocked the door and pulled it open. "How did you find where I work?"

Ashlyn walked in with her trademarked smirk. "Pinoe told me." She walked around the room, dragging her finger along the counters, eyeing a few flowers.

"And let me guess, she gave you my number as well." Ali asked and went behind the counter to enter the greenhouse. Ashlyn just shrugged like nothing was wrong with it, prompting Ali to roll her eyes. "Well unless you're here to buy flowers, you're going to have to leave."

Ashlyn nodded and stopped at a display of petunias. "What if I want to buy everything here?"

"Do you?"

"Mmm not really." Ashlyn chuckled. "My mom loved the flowers, though. Said they were the best she'd ever seen."

"I'm glad she loved them, I try my best to give people my best." Ali stated, she walked out of the greenhouse in a gardening smock and gardening gloves, holding a large pot of full grown lilies. 

"I can tell. You look like you love your work." Ashlyn sidled up next to counter, leaning onto it and staring at Ali. 

"I know you're not here to tell me how beautiful my flowers are, so why are you really here?" Ali asked. She had a few more minutes before her employees came in for their shifts, and she wanted Ashlyn out of her hair by then.

"I want a chance to get to know you. So-" Ashlyn leaned over the lilies on the counter and directly across from Ali. "Any chance I can get your number now?"

Ali gave a weak laugh before moving away from the counter. "You just texted me why wouldn't you have my number?"

"I just called her to text you to open the door. I wanted to be polite in order to get your number. So what do you say?" Ashlyn flashed her smile once again.

Ali gave her a look before grabbing the flower store notepad and scribbled her number on it. She tore it from the pad, holding it between two fingers that were extended towards Ashlyn. "Here you are blondie."

Ashlyn took it and slipped it into her pocket. "Now that that's done. What would you say about going on a date with me?"

"You are one cocky woman. Why exactly would I do that?" Ali scoffed. 

"Is it because of Jesse?" Ashlyn asked. 

"No it's not. You're just not my type." Ali stated while removing her gardening gloves. 

"I'd believe you if I didn't know you were lying through your teeth. You were practically undressing me in that club. But if I'm being honest, I was doing the exact same to you. Why don't we just cut the tension and go out on one date?" Ashlyn suggested. 

Ali sighed and sat down on the store bench. "Okay. One date, and if I hate it, you leave me alone. Capiche?"

"Capiche." Ashlyn smiled. Ali couldn't help but feel like this was an actuall genuine smile and not some attitude crap she was pulling. "I'll text you with the details. Bye Ali."

"See you then Ashlyn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll finsh up another later on.


	6. Date with Seasickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one for today :)

The silence in the room was deafening. Three people in a room and not a single word or sound were muttered between them. Ali rolled her eyes at the red head and bleached blonde. Megan looked like she was ready to burst out in laughter and tears, whereas Jesse looked somewhat like a kicked puppy. Ali didn't exactly know what was going on, other than the fact that it might have something to do with the fact that she told both women that she had a date with Ashlyn today. 

The doorbell rang and each pair of eyes darted straight to the door, no one made a move to get up until they all moved at the exact same time. Ali narrowed her eyes at them and opened the door for Ashlyn. 

"Hey, you look good." Ali complimented honestly. She couldn't deny the fact that Ashlyn in simple khaki pants and a light blue Polo shirt was somehow undeniably attractive. But she curbed her thoughts to stay objective about the entire date and not be swayed by the features of Ashlyn's well defined body. 

Ashlyn's eyes seemed to light up at her words. "You do as well. A summer dress really fits you." 

"Well come in, I have a few things I need to grab before we leave so give me a sec." Ali informed while letting Ashlyn into the apartment. She headed into her bedroom, leaving Ashlyn with Pinoe and Jesse.

"So where are you taking her?" Jesse asked nonchalantly but gave a hard stare. 

Ashlyn just smirked in response. She pulled out her phone to respond to a few work related messages before getting comfortable on the couch. She was ignoring Jesse on purpose. She didn't know exactly what kind of relationship Jesse and Ali, however she could take a guess at what was going but didn't feel like speculating aloud. She did know that she going to put an end to it whether Jesse liked it or not. 

Jesse didn't seem too amused at Ashlyn's silent treatment. "Do you like Ali or are you hoping for a piece of ass?"

Ashlyn snorted, turning around to face the red head with a challenge in her eyes. "Oh that's rich coming from you. But if you must know, I am interested in Ali, why else would I be here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jesse said with a look.

Ashlyn crossed her arms, "You're not dense, figure it out."

"You're full of yourself." Jesse mumbled. "I don't even know why Ali agreed to this."

"Because I'm not you." Ashlyn smirked.

"Okay, excuse me." Pinoe said as she got up and slipped into Ali's room, shutting the door closed behind her. "Girl it's like the start of a world war out there. I don't know if you can tell but Jesse is a damn liar, she totally has feelings for you. She's starting verbal fights out there."

"I know," Ali admitted while filling up her purse. "I know, I just hoped she didn't, she told me she didn't. But hey at least I'm attempting to get into a real relationship."

Pinoe watched her move before taking a seat on her bed. "Ashlyn's a good person, really. She can be a bit childish sometimes, but she's good. I'm glad you're giving this a chance."

"You better be right or I'm coming after you." Ali joked with narrowed eyes.

Pinoe snorted and waved her off. "Girl please. Anyways, you go have fun and I'll take care of Jesse. I'll ship her to Alaska if I have to."

"Thanks Pinoe." Ali gave her a hug before leaving her bedroom and putting a hand on Ashlyn's shoulder. "I'm ready to go now."

"Okay." Ashlyn stood and sent a wink Jesse's way. Ashlyn knew she was being a bit petty but she just couldn't pass up on the chance to do so.

Ashlyn led Ali down to the same black sports car she brought to the flower shop. Ashlyn helped her in the car mostly because Ali was slightly confused with the concept of the suicide doors. Once they were buckled up Ashlyn revved up the engine in typical fashion. Ali gave her a worried look as if she didn't trust Ashlyn to drive the speed limit or safely. 

"Hey I'm not dead yet, and I've been driving this baby here for half a year." Ashlyn reassured with a grin. 

"Emphasis on the not yet part." Ali mumbled. 

Ashlyn shook her head in amusement and drove to their destination. She saw Ali's eyes go wide once they pulled into the boat dock. Ashlyn parked the car and popped open the trunk, producing a picnic basket. She walked around and tapped Ali's arm. "Come on."

"Is that your boat?" Ali asked, pointing to the one that said 'S.S.Harris' on the side. 

"The correct term would be yacht, Ali, and yes it's mine." Ashlyn climbed into the yacht and placed the picnic basket down before holding her arms out to Ali. "Well, come on."

"I can get on by myself." Ali informed. She hiked her long sundress up a little bit so she could get better footing, which wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do in her strappy sandals with terrible grip. She blew out a quick breath before trying to get up in one go like Ashlyn had earlier. It sounded like a good idea at first, but the moment her leg crossed over the water and onto the yacht, was the moment she lost her balance and almost came face to face with the ocean water until a pair of strong arms pulled her onto the yacht.

"I got you." Ashlyn said in her ear before steadying her and letting go. "I'm gonna get the yacht ready and then we'll sail for a little while, not too far out."

"Thank you. But I thought we were just going to stay docked." Ali chuckled nervously.

"Nope, we're just going on a small trip, just coast on the water and come back." Ashlyn yelled back while getting the yacht powered up. She popped her head back up with a satisfied smile and turned and saw a green in the face Ali. "Uhh are you okay?"

Ali held onto the yacht railing like her life depended on it and gave an unconvincing nod. Ashlyn knew better and quickly turned back so she could turn the yacht back. When the yacht made a sharp turn, Ali gave a low groan and spilled her breakfast into the ocean. 

~~~

"One Triple Chocolate fudge brownie ice cream for you, and a Caramel Cookie Chunk ice cream for me." Ashlyn smiled as she placed the cold sweet treat in front of a semi queasy Ali. 

"Thank you."Ali replied honestly, she took one spoonful of the child treat and let out a moan. "That is really good."

"You never told me you get sea sick." Ashlyn said whole taking a bite of her own ice cream. 

"My father was huge in fishing, so every Sunday he'd drag us all out to go fish, but once we found a place, I was usually already puking my guts out. I didn't think we'd sail while on your yacht, so I thought I'd be okay." Ali admitted sheepishly. 

"No need to feel too bad, everyone has their lesser moments. But I am a little disappointed that I can't take you on any ocean dates anytime soon." Ashlyn flirted.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself." Ali teased and stole a bite from her ice cream. "By the way, you must be some kind of billionaire or something to own that beach house, car, a club and boat, or are you a trust fund baby?"

"Hmm something like that. But really, I'm in the corporate world, both my family and I are very well off." Ashlyn informed. "Some people like to call me Florida's most eligible and richest bachelor, it's a bit hilarious if you ask me."

"So I'm on a date with Florida's most eligible and richest bachelor? Pinoe sure as hell didn't mention that when I agreed to this date." Ali smiled and tapped her chin. She didn't care if Ashlyn had money or not, sure you got to experience more things than the average person, but Ali really wanted to try and date someone, especially because of the fact that Jesse started liking her. Ali was nearing 27 and a 'no strings attached relationship' wasn't going to cut it at this point. 

"Yes ma'am you are." Ashlyn said with a dimpled smile. "Are you contemplating a second date with me? Even though this one started with you spilling your guts in the ocean?"

"Maybe." Ali smiled, "But you got me ice cream, so I think you deserve some brownie points."

"What's going on with you and Jesse? I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries but she gives some hard looks every now and then." Ashlyn asked. She didn't want to intrude, but she had to know what was going on between Ali and red head before she got involved. 

Ali swallowed a piece of the brownie sticking out from her bowl. "Jesse and I are friends who tried dating but it didn't work out. But we had a lot in common so we moved in together, and casually hook up."

"Why didn't yall work together? I mean yall just seem like the best of friends." Ashlyn asked with a puzzled expression. 

"You know how some people are better off as friends? That's what me and Jesse are. I can't explain why, but if I tried I would say it's because we didn't have a spark. I enjoy spending time with her and we can comfort each other like friends do, we both enjoy sleeping with each other, but I don't feel that spark, you know." Ali explained to the best of her ability. 

Ashlyn nodded, "I get it. Can't say I've ever been in a situation like that but I guess I can understand it."

"Good. I thought I was going to sound ridiculous. But I'm glad I made some sense." Ali chuckled and finished the last spoonful of ice cream. "I uh hope I didn't potentially scare you away."

"Oh! So you do want to go on another date with me?" Ashlyn grinned, sitting back with her arms crossed. 

"Calm down, I'd be open to another date, is what I'm trying to say." Ali laughed. 

"Then I'll make sure to cash in on that." Ashlyn said and tapped the table. "I think it's time to get you back home." 

"Let's go."

They exited the ice cream parlor and drove back to Ali's apartment. Ashlyn revved her engine once more before shutting it off which enticed a slap on the arm from Ali. "Are you trying to piss off everyone in the complex." 

"I can't help it, this baby runs smooth as hell." Ashlyn laughed.

"You're a child." Ali joked before leaving the car. 

They went up the steps before stopping at the door. Ashlyn stood a few feet behind Ali while she had her back to door. 

"I enjoyed today with you, really." Ali smiled. "I guess you're not the huge pain in the ass I thought you were initially."

Ashlyn chuckled, "Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself since I did as well."

They stood staring at each other until Ashlyn stepped closer until she stood less than a few inches away from Ali. She slowly brought her hands up to cup Ali's cheeks, rubbing her thumbs across them. She looked into the brunette's light brown eyes for any hesitation, when none was found she leaned down, closing the distance between and joining their lips in a soft kiss. When she felt Ali's hands grip her shirt, she ran her tounge over Ali's bottom lip. Once Ali opened her mouth and granted her tounge access, Ashlyn put more passion in the kiss. 

After a few minutes of their kissing, Ali broke away with a breathless look and slightly red, kiss swollen lips. "I'll see you later Ashlyn. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Ali." Ashlyn smiled before heading back down to her car.


	7. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 1 of 2 chapters for today :)

Ali smiled to the customer who had just purchased large order hydrangeas, Ali thought the plant was beautiful but found it a bit odd that teenage boy was the one buying it. Nonetheless a buyer was a buyer. She got one of her employees to help the boy load them into his truck before going off to clean the counters herself. After cleaning the counters, Ali made her way over to the indoor hose so she could water the display plants, however halfway through, someone put hands over her eyes and kissed her cheek. She knew who it was from the expensive body spray's scent that flooded her nose in a very pleasant way. It'd been a few days after their date and Ali was actually surprised to see her. It wasn't that Ali thought they were done with, she just thought that since she gave Ashlyn her number and bot vice versa there was no way to contact her.

"I have a hose, don't think I won't use it on your ass." Ali threatened while her grip on the hose tightened. 

"You're a violent gardener." Ashlyn chuckled and let go.

"Not true. I just don't like being sneaked on." Ali clarified and went back to watering the plants. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't come and see the girl I want to date? Geez Ali cut me some slack." Ashlyn joked and took a seat.

Ali clicked the hose off and faced her with a skeptical look. "You said you work in the corporate world, and everyone I know from there are tight-assed people, so I doubt they would just let you walk out of there to come see me."

"First off, I'm on my lunch break. Second off, did I forget to tell you I'm the owner's kid? I can take as much time out of the office as I want." Ashlyn smirked as she rattled off her reasons with the aid of her fingers. 

"Ooo such a rebel." Ali joked. "Anyways, as much as I enjoy your presence, I'm still on the clock so you have to go."

"Okay, I wouldn't want to get the bossman in trouble." Ashlyn winked before standing and dusting off her tailored slacks. Instead of walking out the door, Ashlyn came up beside Ali and placed a hand on her cheek. "Can I get a kiss before I leave?"

"We've been on one date, which we did kiss after. Now you want another, my goodness are rich people needy." Ali teased but stood on her toes to joins their lips. "But it's a good thing I like giving." She said and wiped off some of her lip gloss from Ashlyn's lips.

They both still had their eyes locked on each other, not aware of anything or anyone else until Ashlyn leaned in for another and someone cleared their throat. Both women broke away to see a man in an expensive suit standing in the doorway. He looked straight at Ashlyn and tapped his watch. 

"I guess you have to go?" Ali chuckled. 

"Yea, I'll call you later tonight." Ashlyn said quickly, kissing Ali just as quick and leaving with the suited man. 

Ali just shook her head as the blonde left, there was something about Ashlyn that she liked. She couldn't describe it but she welcomed it nonetheless. She cleared her thoughts when she heard the store phone ring.

"Sunset Flower Shop, Ali speaking, how can I help you?" Ali rattled off from memory.

"Al, you need to talk to Jesse. Like soon." Pinoe said.

"Pinoe you can't call me at work like this." 

"Yea I know, I'll buy some flowers or something before I hang up. But seriously speaking Jesse has feelings for you, and the fact that yall keep sleeping together only makes it worse. 

"I'll talk to her." Ali stated and hung up. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. No one was supposed to develop feelings for each other, and if you did, even if you think you did, you lie about it because what the both of you had was something you like. Maybe you had feelings for Jesse, and you lied to yourself, or maybe you just liked the sex. Either way, if dating Ashlyn was going to be something that you really tried, then the relationship with Jesse had to end. 

~~~

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Ali said as she watched as her employees clock out, they said their goodnights as well whole leaving. She organized the orders for tomorrow, stacking them up in an order that she and her workers were used to. Once she finished up what needed to be done, she closed up and headed back to her apartment complex. 

Ali entered her apartment and was faced with Jesse on the couch with the tv on and a half empty glass of something alcoholic. Ali dropped her purse and ring of keys on the entrance table, causing as much noise as she could to rouse Jesse from her trance. When Jesse turned around and locked eyes with her for a second before turning back to the tv, Ali knew she succeeded.

She walked around the couch and sat next to the red head, placing a hand on her thigh. "Jesse, we need to talk."

"I know." Jesse replied, taking another gulp from her glass with her eyes still trained on the tv. 

Ali turned to face her and gripped her thigh harder to get her full attention. "We have to stop sleeping together."

"Because of Ashlyn?" Jesse asked with a clenched jaw. 

"Ashlyn isn't a part of this, only you. We told each other no feelings involved, just sex. Maybe in hindsight I should've known that this would happen." Ali clarified. 

"Bullshit, it's been one date and you're already saying we have to end it. We were fine before Ashlyn came along." Jesse said and shut off the tv. "Tell me you don't feel anything for me."

"Jess-" Ali was cut off by Jesse's lips on her own. They were soft, something she was used to, something she liked, it was Jesse. 

"Tell me you don't feel anything with me. You've been lying to yourself and you know it. There's something worth trying between us, you know it as much as I do. We've been friends for months, we live together and quite frankly we know each other. I just don't get why you won't let us try again." Jesse said. 

"I just don't think we should." Ali replied weakly. 

"Don't lie to me Ali."

Ali fiddled with her fingers before looking into the piercing blue eyes that's she's looked into for months. "I don't want to lose you Jesse. I don't want us to go through some ugly break up because we tried dating. You mean too much to me."

"I will always be your friend whenever you need me, no matter what. But I don't want to keep guessing about what we could've been if we never gave this a try. I'd be good to you, really." Jesse said with a small smile, holding Ali's hand in her own. 

"I don't know Jesse. We tried once and knew nothing would come from it, why try again?"

"Because you've been lying too Ali." Jesse stated before kissing her once more.


	8. Meet My Parents?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I lied, update 2 out of 3 for today

Ashlyn pulled into the parking garage reserved only for her family members. She grabbed her briefcase and entered the building waving hello to the security guards before stepping into the elevators to get to the 20th floor. Once the elevator doors opened, she made her way into her office and tossed her briefcase in the corner of her office. She dropped into her leather chair and tapped on her office intercom. 

"Janice" 

Janice was Ashlyn's secretary, she was the one that made sure that Ashlyn had everything in order from her meetings to work documents. 

"Yes, Ms.Harris?" Janice replied through the intercom.

"Did Richard send that prompt in for me to look at? Because I don't see them in my office and they're due in two hours." Ashlyn said with annoyance clearly in her voice. 

The entire Harris clan prided themselves on their business, which so happened to be insurance, whether if it were health, car, appliance or whatever, the Harris Insurance company had it for you. They were a large company, one that rarely made mistakes, nor did they tolerate potential mistakes. Ashlyn was known for being a hardass on the matter but her parents and grandma loved her for it. It's what made the company run smoothly, but it was a quality that Ashlyn tried to keep reserved for work only. Most women didn't like the hardass quality in her to even set foot in their relationship. 

"Um I will look for him and get him into your office quickly." Janice said quickly.

"Good, that'll be all Janice." Ashlyn dismissed. She could tell the secretary was already scrambling looking for Richard, but she wasn't going to stop her. Just because Ashlyn was the owner's daughter she didn't get free passes. If she messed up, she was held to a much higher standard, because according to her parents she was supposed to know better.

A firm but nervous knock sounded on the door. Ashlyn called out a 'come in' and saw the man she was looking for walk in and take a seat directly across from her. She tapped rapped her fingers on the polished hardword of her desk and looked at Richard. The man's face was filled with trepidation and Ashlyn liked it. 

"Hello Richard." Ashlyn smiled, still rapping the desk with her fingers.

"Good morning Ms.Harris." Richard replied, swallowing so hard that Ashlyn could see his Adam's apple bob.

"Where's my prompt? You know the one that's due in-" Ashlyn turned her wrist over, checking her watch for the time just for the heck of it. "Hmm two hours."

"I'm not finished with it yet. I stayed late yesterday in order to finish something else, and I tried to get it done before you came in this morning." Richard scrambled, looking for any reason that might appease the blonde.

Ashlyn sighed and knocked on her desk. "You have thirty minutes to finish. By the end of those thirty minutes, you'll turn it in whether it's completed or not. This isn't high school, Richard. I don't give extra days to finish something. This is the real world, when you don't finish things, you get fired. Remember that for next time."

Richard nodded, "Thank you Ms. Harris." He quickly left the office in search of his computer to finish the prompt she wanted.

Despite Ashlyn's harsh words, everyone in the office knew she never once fired someone, that was her parents coupled with her grandma's influence that did. Ashlyn only kept up the impression of being mean so that her employees knew the next time a slip up occurred, they wouldn't be so fortunate. 

Ashlyn went to work on her own projects. It was her responsibility to come up with new insurance plans that individuals could choose from. Her success was determined by how many people picked that plan, however she never had a problem succeeding in that area. 

Twenty minutes into working, Janice slipped inside quietly and handed her Richard's prompts. Ashlyn thanked her and looked them over, satisfied with his work. She was inputting it into the computer system when her intercom buzzed.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and buzzed back. "Yes Janice?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but your grandmother is here and she wants to speak with you." Janice explained.

"Can't she wait?" Ashlyn asked, she was busy and a visit from her grandma wasn't something she wanted to deal with as of right now. Besides, her grandma never made friendly visits at work, so if she was here then it was something serious.

The intercom was silent for a moment until the door opened and Grandma Harris walked in with Janice right on her heels. "I'm sorry Ms. Harris, I tried to stop her but she went ahead."

Ashlyn waved her off and faced her grandma. She moved over to her and kissed her cheek before going to sit in her leather chair. "Hi G-Ma, what's up?"

"I'm sure you've thought about what I told you." Grandma Harris said, knowing full well that she had.

"Yes Gram, I have." Ashlyn continued rapping her knuckles on the hardwood desk. "But I'm sure you didn't come here just to ask me that."

"I knew you were a smart child, Ashlyn. Jefferson told me he caught you kissing some woman in a flower shop." Grandma Harris started, Ashlyn nodded.

Jefferson was the Harris family head butler, and she wasn't surprised that when Jefferson interrupted her and Ali at the flower shop that day, that he'd probably blab to her grandmother.

"Well I want you to invite her over for dinner this weekend. Valentine's Day is coming up and I want to meet her before then." Grandma Harris explained. 

Ashlyn quirked an eyebrow, "Why don't I just bring her on Valentine's Day instead?"

"Because I would hope you would have some common sense to take her somewhere for Valentine's Day, you buffoon." Grandma Harris said with a frown and a slap to her arm. "Anyways I expect to see you and your girlfriend-"

"She's not my girlfriend, grandma. We've only been on one date so far." Ashlyn corrected. 

Grandma Harris narrowed her eyes and stood. "One date or not, bring her over for dinner. If you're not there I'm going to be very disappointed in you." She kissed both of Ashlyn's cheeks and left. "Have a great day Sweetheart.

Ashlyn leaned back in her leather seat with her arms over her eyes and groaned. Her grandmother was serious about the entire thing. 

~~~

Ashlyn pulled up to the Sunset Flower Shop around 1 am, she hoped that the shop would still be open but knew better. She backed her car out and drove to Ali's apartment. She hopped out of her sports car and climbed up three stairs at a time until she came face first worth her apartment door. She needed to ask Ali about the abrupt dinner now. Her grandma was smart enough to ask her about the entire dinner on a Friday, leaving her no time to really back out from the plans. 

She knocked on Ali's apartment door as loud as she could without disturbing everyone else in the complex. She heard some thuds and grumbling before the locks turned and the door opened, revealing a very sleepy but adorable looking Ali. 

"Ash what're you doing here at 1 am?" Ali asked in a sleep heavy voice and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to keep out the slight Florida nighttime chill. 

"I know what we can do for our second date. You'll come with me for a family dinner. Let's just get meeting my parents out of way." Ashlyn said. 

Ali gave her an unimpressed look and crossed her arms. "You couldn't wait until tomorrow to ask me this?"

"I don't know, I uh partially just wanted to see you." Ashlyn chuckled. 

"And I wanted to see myself sleeping, we all don't get what we want."

Ashlyn moved into Ali's space and held her waist, "Let me come in."

"You're insane," Ali breathed out. 

"Just to sleep. It's already late and I would think you'd care about my wellbeing enough to let me stay." Ashlyn replied, smiling at the brunette who was weighing her options. When she felt the brunette tug her into the apartment by her dress shirt, she knew she won Ali over. 

Ali led the way into her bedroom and closed it once Ashlyn was inside. "Only to sleep. If you so much as try anything, I'll bite your fingers."

Ashlyn nodded and made a scout's honor salute before stripping off her dress shirt and slacks. She smirked when Ali turned the other way around to climb into the bed. Ashlyn followed after her in only her boy shorts and sports bra, cuddling next to Ali; acting as the big spoon. She held the brunette tightly and whispered in her ear, "So will you come to dinner with me and my family?"

"Will you shut up if I answer?" Ali groaned and smacked her arm, when she felt Ashlyn nod into her hair she spoke. "Yes, now be quiet and sleep."

"Yes ma'am." Ashlyn said, sweeping her hair away from the nape of her neck and placing a soft kiss. "Goodnight Ali."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Jesse and Ali will be in the next chapter ;)


	9. Mutual Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update 3 of 3

Ali opened the waffle maker and pulled the hot, doughy food out, placing it on a plate. She already had enough for three people, her fear was that Jesse might walk in and question the third plate. She moved over to the pan of scrambled eggs and another with bacon strips. She filled up all three plates, grabbed a notepad and wrote out a note for Jesse when she woke up. She was about to place Jesse's plate in the microwave until she woke up but caught someone moving in the corner of her eye. 

"Jesse....good morning." Ali said and pushed the plate closer to her. 

Jesse smiled but her eyes flickered over to the third plate and back up to Ali. Ali opened her mouth to explain but Jesse shushed her. "We're okay Ali. You don't have to explain to me." She moved in closer to her, holding Ali's face in her hands and kissed her forehead, "Thank you for breakfast."

Ali placed both her hands over Jesse's, closing her eyes when she felt the red head's lips on her skin. "Okay. Have a good time at work."

Jesse nodded, "Will you be here for dinner?"

"No. Ashlyn's family wants me over for dinner tonight apparently." Ali said. "But I'll make sure to make some and leave it for you."

"Have fun." Jesse said and walked back to her room with her plate. 

She was burning on inside if she told the truth, just being friends was terrible, it was an idea she couldn't stomach but didn't want to push so hard that she lost Ali. The feeling of a knife twisting in her gut was when she came in Ali's room to wake her up maybe for a bit of hot morning sex, it was her usual way of waking Ali up. But when saw Ashlyn cuddled insanely close to Ali, probably after sleeping together, her heart went into her throat. She never heard Ashlyn come in last night, but there she was in the bed and here Jesse was standing there like an idiot, watching them sleep as Ashlyn held the woman Jesse wanted to. That was supposed to be her place; holding Ali after they had just made love or had sex, she'd hold her until they woke up in the presence of each other, but it seemed like Ali was trying her best not to acknowledge and try the feelings that they admitted last night. Once she was inside her room, she placed the plate on the computer desk and ripped the blankets from her bed, throwing them onto the floor and sliding down to the floor with them. She placed her face in her hands and willed herself not to cry. 

Ali remembered their talk the other night and knew that although their compromise on their relationship wasn't all that ideal, they were in fact okay right now. 

~~~  
Flashback to yesterday  
_"Because you've been lying too Ali." Jesse stated before kissing her once more._

_Ali wanted to resist Jesse, but a part of her didn't. Maybe Jesse was right, she probably did feel something when they kissed and had sex. Maybe she was lying, and it was easier to push Jesse away and not attempt to date. Or maybe they were literally better as friends with benefits but with limitations like they already had in place. Ali just didn't know. But what she did know was Jesse's body on her own was a welcomed thing._

_She pulled Jesse closer by her shirt, laying on back so she was horizontally laying on the couch. Jesse was quick to cover her body with her own. They laid on the couch in a hot and desire driven make out session. Hands wandering each other's body, which they were already familiar with. Jesse pulled back to practically rip off her shirt while Ali watched her, taking in the well toned torso. This would've been the time where Ali pushed Jesse on her back and took over, but flashes of Ashlyn's toned torso, comes into mind. When Jesse's warm body covered her own once again, Ali's mind flashed back to how Ashlyn's body felt against her own in the club._

_Jesse was busy nipping at Ali's throat and grinding her hips into Ali's when she heard the unmistakable 'stop'. She heard it when it when it left Ali's lips, although Ali was clearly succumbing to the pleasure she was causing, and she felt the 'stop' when Ali's hands lightly pushed at her chest._

_"We have to stop, Jesse." Ali said breathlessly._

_Jesse sat back, still straddling Ali's waist, but when Ali began sitting up, Jesse quickly removed herself._

_"I think I do like you. And maybe I've been lying to myself, and somewhere down the road I developed feelings for you too and didn't notice. But I also think I might like Ashlyn, and I do want to give her a try." Ali said, trying to make sense of her own jumbled thoughts._

_Jesse just held Ali's cheek in her palm and moved closer to her. "You and Ashlyn have only done one date. Let me take you on one as well."_

_"It'd just get messy, and you know it Jess." Ali said, already striking down the idea._

_"So where does that leave us?" Jesse asked meekly, eyes focused straight on the ground._

_"I don't want to ask you to wait for me, because it's wrong. And I don't want you to feel like a rebound or a back up lab because you mean so much too me than that. I just-"_

_Jesse placed her finger over Ali's lips to silence her. She couldn't bear to hear what else Ali had to say. "It's okay, I get it. And as much as I don't want to see you date Ashlyn, I don't want to see you get hurt either, and I'll always still be here for you. And even though you don't want me to, I'll wait for you because some people are worth waiting for." She smiled and gave Ali one last kiss. One that she didn't want to break but Ali made that decision for her._

_"So we're okay?"_

_"We're okay Ali." Jesse agreed, although her eyes were full of what seemed like never ending sadness._  
End of Flashback  
~~~

Ali watched her go back into her room before grabbing the other two plates of breakfast and heading into her own. She kicked the door closed while balancing the two playes of food and narrowed her eyes at Ashlyn, who was already awake and leaning up on her elbows watching her bring the food inside. She placed both plates on the foot of the bed and climbed on slowly and gently. 

"You couldn't bother to help me?"Ali said and grabbed her plate and leaned on the headboard. 

Ashlyn already had some waffles in her mouth when she turned to Ali with a goofy look. "You just looked so domestic, and I liked it. But if you were only wearing my dress shirt when you came in, I would've taken those plates from you and jumped your bones."

Ali snorted, "Like I'd let you."

"Hey a girl can dream." Ashlyn shrugged and continued to eat her breakfast. "So are you gonna start looking for what to wear for dinner tonight?"

"I don't know, does it have to be fancy?"

Ashlyn stopped chewing to think, "Hmm not so much fancy, but it should be nice and modest. As much as I loved your little black dress from the club, I don't think it'll fly with my grandma."

"I'll find something after I shower." Ali said mostly to herself.

"Well when you do, we'll go to my place to get ready." Ashlyn laughed when Ali gave her an incredulous look, obviously Ali was thinking that she was trying to sleep with her. "I still need to change and shower as well."

"That better be your reason."

"Okay bossy." Ashlyn laughed while slipping on her clothes from the previous night.

~~~

They were currently in Ashlyn's beach house, Ashlyn in the shower and Ali standing in front of the foot of Ashlyn's master sized bed looking at the bed full of expensive dinner dresses. Ali didn't like the fact that Ashlyn spent all this money on dresses that she could've looked for in her closet. 

Ashlyn stepped out of the bathroom, steam following quickly after her. She stood there with a towel around her waist clearly showing her well defined v line that disappeared into the towel, a sports bra already on, and her hands covered with another towel dying her wet blonde hair. "Did you find which one you like?" Ashlyn asked with her focus already moving towards her closet.

"You didn't have to buy these Ashlyn." Ali pointed to the dresses, even though Ashlyn wasn't looking at her, she knew Ashlyn knew what she was talking about.

Ashlyn pulled out a light blue dress shirt and tailored pants. "Then you really won't like this." Ashlyn handed her a small jewelry box. Ali gave her a look of 'Send it back now' before she even opened it, Ashlyn just shrugged. "Open it, you don't have to keep it. However I would very much like it if you did."

Ali took the box and opened it, she knew the jewelry piece was going to be beautiful, and she was right. But she couldn't accept it, even if it was for a night. She was ready to argue when Ashlyn pressed her lips to hers. Ashlyn had one hand entangled in her hair holding her in place, Ali tried to grip onto anything she could as she fell deeper into the kiss, she settled for Ashlyn's towel. The kiss was somehow soft but demanding, Ashlyn always won dominance in their kisses, especially if Ashlyn was the one to start it. 

Ashlyn broke away with a peck and their foreheads touching. "Will you wear it now? Just humor me."

Ali nodded with an exaggerated eye roll and pulled away, she picked a dark blue dress that was nice looking but modest. If she had to guess Ashlyn's grandmother would probably love this one. She took the dress and went into the bathroom once she saw Ashlyn drop her towel and step into boy shorts. Once Ali was finished getting ready, Ashlyn took her hand and began leading her outside and to the sports car. 

"You should really invest in something that isn't such a gas guzzler, you know." Ali smirked while looking out the window as Ashlyn drove. 

"Yea sure, but no engine purrs like this baby." Ashlyn replied with a pat to the dashboard. She pulled into the Harris home's driveway and parked. She patted Ali's thigh and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "You ready to meet my family."

"If they're nothing like you, then I'm game." Ali teased, smiling when she saw the blonde frown a bit. 

Ashlyn recovered quickly and put an arm around her waist, leading her up the walkway. "You're soo lucky you have a cute ass." She said with a firm pat to the brunette's ass, before ringing the doorbell.


	10. Interrogations & Assumptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about not posting yesterday, I was super busy. But here's an update.

Jefferson opens the door with a smile, more so to Ali than Ashlyn. He leads them inside and begins guiding them to the living room where everyone is. "Ashlyn, your grandmother would be proud of you. For once you actually listened without putting up a fight."

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and patted Jefferson's shoulder. "Yea yea, I can take Ali from here." Ashlyn took Ali's hand and swung their interlaced hands in a goofy manner.

"What was that man talking about?" Ali asked.

Ashlyn shrugged, "Sometimes I can be a sucker to my grandma and sometimes a pin in her butt." She placed her empty hand on the wall, stopping before they reached the entry way of the living room. "Well here goes nothing."

They both walked into the room, and all eyes were on them. Ashlyn could feel Ali tense beside her and squeezed her hand for any sort of comfort she could give. "Guys this is Ali. Ali this is my brother Chris, his wife and my sister-in law Linda, my mom and dad; Tammye and Mike, and my wonderful grandma." Everyone said their hellos before going into the large dining room. 

Ali looked around, still amazed with the large mansion. The dining room was mostly white with tones of soft blue here and there. A large chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling, shining brightly, illuminating the rather large room. 

"You're staring, Ali." Ashlyn whispered in her ear while pulling her seat out for her. 

Ali smiled at the gesture and whispered back once Ashlyn was seated. "Who needs half of the stuff in here?"

"Ask my parents." Ashlyn chuckled. 

Cooks brought out food, not in individual plates but in family style serving platters. After saying thank you to the cooks, each family member began serving themselves until each had gotten what they wanted. 

"So Ali what do you do?" Grandma Harris asked. 

Ali looked up, "I own a flower shop. Sunset Flower Shop, maybe you've heard of it."

"I don't think I have." Grandma Harris smiled. "I hope it's a thriving company, you know some people make these investments into their personal businesses and then it turns out that they don't amass any usable profits."

Ali subtly rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, my flower shop makes very good profit; enough for plenty of employees and myself."

Grandma Harris raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Well that's good to hear."

Ashlyn snorted internally, she felt this whole thing was unnecessary. They were only keeping the appearance of making nice so they could scope Ali out. They wanted to see if Ali was actually dating her, or if she was some random hookup that she brought with her to fool her grandma. Or if Ali was technically "good enough" to date someone in the Harris family. This entire dinner pissed her off, but if it eased her family of her back then she'd endure the useless dinner. 

"Ashlyn never told me how you two met. I'm curious to get to know more of the women who's dating my granddaughter." 

Ali gave a slight look to Ashlyn who seemed too into the food on her plate. She felt like she was being interrogated by the older woman. "We uh met because of my flower shop. She was a customer. She bought a large amount of flowers, I couldn't forget someone like her." She chucked at the end. 

"I hope you don't make it a habit of pursuing customers." Grandma Harris asked. 

"No I don't. She's the one that actually asked me out after I dropped the flowers off." Ali said in a matter of fact tone. 

"Oh wow, Ash she's the one who grew those flowers you gave mom?" Chtis butted in sensing the animosity between Ali and his grandma. "I mean I'm no flower expert but yours are beautiful. I'm sure Linda would love some." He said and kissed his wife's cheek. 

"Thank you, maybe if you two drop by I can give yall some on the house." Ali said. Chris and his wife seemed okay, there wasn't a sense of underlying probing when they talked to her, just regular conversation. 

"I'd love that, thank you." Linda smiled. "So what's yours and Ashlyn's plans for Valentines Day? If Ashlyn is anything like my lughead husband he'll attempt to forget its Valentine's Day by staying at work and claiming they kept him there. Best course of action would be to mess with one of their favorite items, like I do with his golf clubs."

"Hey! I was wondering what happened to those." Chris said. 

"Don't forget V-Day this year and you won't have to wonder." Linda laughed and patted her husband's chest. 

Mike turned to look at his daughter, "I hope you have something good planned, don't mess it up." He said it in such a way that it sounded like a direct order. 

Ashlyn wiped her mouth, "I got it covered dad, don't worry about it. Me and Ali are going to take a few days and go on a trip."

"I work on Valentine's Day, Ash. It's one of the shop's biggest days." Ali stated.

"Not anymore." Ashlyn replied and went back to cutting her steak. 

"What do you mean 'Not anymore'? I work, I can't just drop everything and leave at your beck and call." Ali argued, clearly not aware of any of the plans Ashlyn had. 

"You're not working that day, Ali. I already talked to your employees and got them to cover for you. With a little incentive they happily agreed if you ask me." Ashlyn explained with a shrug and continued eating. 

Ali rolled her eyes and stood, "You can't pay off my staff Ashlyn, they work for me! And I wonder when you were going to tell me about this entire thing."

"I told you now." Ashlyn shrugged, not believing that she did anything wrong. 

"Funny. Real damn funny." Ali deadpaned, she pulled her napkin free from her lap and left the dining room.

Ashlyn muttered an expletive and stood only to be stopped by Linda. "Let me talk to her. You should probably weather the storm your parents and grandma just saw." Ashlyn nodded and gave a quiet thank you.

Linda left the dining room in search of Ali, after asking a few of the house workers she found Ali outside in front of the mansion getting ready to call a cab. "Ali, can we talk?" Linda pointed to the bench next to the fountain. Ali followed her to the bench and sat with her. "So what's going through your mind?"

"She can't do that. She can't come in and buy off my employees and think it's fine to not tell me anything." Ali said clearly irritated, she was ranting to the blonde haired woman but desperately needed someone to hear it. "And in her mind she thinks it's fine. Like she didn't do anything remotely wrong. Not to mention her grandmother is interrogating me like I killed someone! And it's not like I need her to stand up for me because I can do that myself, but she looked more at the damn cooked meat on her plate than me!"

"I understand how you feel, especially in this family. When I met Chris they were very overwhelming with all the questions and what not, and even sometimes by Chris. It almost felt like he thought money could fix everything, or the answer to everything. I guess they were just brought up that way. But he learned how to act differently. There was no more 'buying his way out' so to say." Linda explained. "And Grandma Harris' interrogating is something that I didn't necessarily go through, but you're strong and apparently so is Grandma Harris. My best piece of advice would be, ignore her, she's stubborn as bull."

"How do you deal with all of this?" Ali says raising her hands up, gesturing to everything around her. 

Linda chuckled and leaned back on the bench, "That was a little challenging at first. When we first began dating, Chris had all these expensive things, it just felt odd. But with time, he changed. Plus I love Chris, so that made it a lot easier." 

"That doesn't apply to Ashlyn and I, we've only been on one date, two if you count this dinner." Ali sighed and stood. "I should just go home."

Linda grabbed her hand, "Ali, you're a good person and I know where you're coming from. I just think you should talk to her before you decide to leave."

Ali sighed but nodded, she turned to head back inside when she saw Ashlyn standing on the steps to the front door. Linda saw her as well and gave Ali's shoulder a brief squeeze before going inside. Ashlyn walked down to where Ali stood, and ran her hands down the sides of Ali's arms with a small smile. "I know you want to talk, and before you do, I just want to tell you that I'm sorry for what I did. I thought it'd be a nice surprise but I see how I was wrong."

"I just feel like your buying me. The date on the yacht, dresses, the jewelry. The only times when everything felt normal was at the ice cream parlor and our breakfast this morning." Ali explained. 

"I know. But I have this money, and I don't spend it with the intention of flaunting it, at least not all of the time." Ashlyn chuckled. "I never want you to feel like I'm buying you, but I wouldn't mind spending money for you."

"That's the thing, you don't have to. I'm fine if you don't. I'm not going to hate you because you didn't get me something expensive." Ali interrupted. She wanted to set the record straight now, before the same problem arose again. "And what is your grandma's problem? She berated me with questions all dinner long."

"That's G-Ma for you, headstrong like an ox. But I'll talk to her." Ashlyn smiled. 

"You basically allowed her to chew me out all night. You didn't even butt in and say something." Ali said with a frown and crossed arms. 

"I'm sorry, I should've said something. But I promise tonight I'll say something." Ashlyn rubbed the soft skin on the insides of Ali's elbows with her thumbs. "So what about our V-Day getaway I had planned?"

"Any chance you can cancel?" Ali asked but Ashlyn gave her a look that said no. "Then fine we can go."

Ashlyn grinned and leaned down to kiss her, she frowned when she was met with Ali's fingertips. 

"But if I find so much as a flowerpot broken, I will get you." Ali warned. 

"Wouldn't that be on your employees?"

"You put them in charge." Ali said with narrowed eyes. 

"But you hired them." Ashlyn smirked. 

Ali slapped her arms and started walking back into the home. "Don't push your luck Harris."

Ashlyn laughed as she followed Ali back inside, when she caught up to her, she grabbed her by the hand and turned her around, kissing her hard. She held her close by the waist and pulled away. "That's for refusing me earlier." She winked, "Oh yea, pack short clothes, it'll be warm where we're going. Let me talk to my parents and I'll be out in a sec."

Ashlyn went into the den where she knew her patents and grandma would be. "Lay off. I know what you guys are doing and I don't need you trying interfere with Ali and me. The interrogating and pretty remarks need to stop now." She said in a particularly stern voice that she reserved for work. 

Tammye spoke up, "Calm down, Ashlyn we just wanted to make sure that-"

"That I didn't bring a paid hookup with me?! Or that Ali is good enough to be with a Harris?! You wanted to make sure she wasn't trying to shack it up with a rich person, since according to yall I blow through money like water." Ashlyn yelled with pointed fingers. "What the hell is wrong with yall? I actually might like Ali, and I would like to see where it goes, without your involvement." Ashlyn pointed out. 

Grandma Harris raised a hand to stop her granddaughter's shouting. "Contrary to your belief, I'm glad you found someone you like, it's nice to see you happy because of someone and not your extravagant lifestyle."

"Well then don't fuck it up for me." Ashlyn stated and left, slamming the door behind her. She was going back to where Ali was when Chris stopped her. 

"Hey Ash, can we talk right quick?"

Ashlyn stuffed her hands in her pockets and nodded. "What's up?"

"I just want to say that Ali is cool, I like her and so does Linda. Forget about what mom, dad, and grandma said, I'll try to see if I can convince them to back off." Chris said. 

Ashlyn pulled him into a tight hug, "Thank you really."

"No need to thank me, I just don't want them to screw this up for you. You do seem happy with her even in this short amount of time, so I'm more than happy to help." Chris patted her on the back, "But if you fuck it up, I'll kick your pretty ass." He joked and ruffled her hair before pushing her away. 

"Yea yea, I'll just come after your golf clubs." Ashlyn laughed and waved bye.


	11. Valentine's Day Getaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a little time jump here in the beginning

A few weeks passed after the dinner with Ashlyn's family, Ashlyn of course apologized for their interrogating questions and did her best not to fling money at whatever she thought Ali might like, and after that they were fine. They went out on a few more dates, some of which Ali had planned, and a funny but memorable one of Ashlyn trying to get Ali to overcome her seasickness, which only caused for her to vomit her stomach contents on Ashlyn's rather pricy leather dress shoes. Despite some mishaps and embarrassing moments every now and then, they were really hitting it off in terms of dating, none could deny the fact that they secretly adored that fact.

When Pinoe found out about them dating she acted like she was the creator of Match.com or something. She claimed that Ali and Ashlyn only got together because of her pushing and prodding. Jesse did have to endure Ashlyn and Ali being cute around each other at the apartment, and although she rather not have seen it, she stayed true to her word that she wouldn't do anything to interfere in their relationship.

Today was the day before Valentine's Day, the day that Ali and Ashlyn were leaving for the romantic getaway that Ashlyn planned. However Ali wouldn't even pack until they visited the flower shop and made sure that everything was running smoothly. After she was convinced of everything, Ashlyn dropped her off at her apartment and drove off to finalize some things. 

"Pinoe! Jess! I'll see you two later, Ashlyn's out front." Ali said while she struggled to lug her luggage to the front door. 

"Have fun on your getaway, being me back a souvenir or something nice. Whatever you can fit in your already overstuffed suitcase." Pinoe yelled from her spot on the couch. "You know you have to pay extra for overweight luggage."

"If you're not going to help me move this, then can it." Ali grunted.

"You wouldn't need help if you packed right." Pinoe said in a singing like voice.

Jesse stood and helped Ali push the luggage next to the door. She sat down next to Pinoe and laid her arms across the tops of the couch. "You and Ashlyn have been dating for a month and she's already taking you on some mystery trip Valentine's Day trip. Where can I find one like her?" 

"Who knows, maybe I'll ask around for you." Ali joked back. A knock sounded on the front door, "It's open Ash!"

Ashlyn walked inside and gave Ali a brief kiss, "Babe we gotta go." She lifted her suitcase with a surprised look. "What the hell did you pack?"

"Clothes. You didn't tell me how long we were staying, so I took the safe route." Ali defended. 

"The safe route? There's enough stuff in here for an entire family." Ashlyn picked up the bag and went down the steps to the car she had waiting for them. 

Ali turned to her friends and grabbed two small red rose bouquets and a box of chocolates from her room, kissing each one on their cheeks. "Happy early Valentine's Day you two. Now I have to go, Jesse try not to get fat off chocolates and Pinoe try not to get attacked by one of your crazy lovers."

"No promises." Pinoe winked as Ali headed for the door.

"Bye Al!" Both Pinoe and Jesse called out after her as she left. 

~~~

The car drive was shorter than Ali expected. Most of the car windows had a dark tint over the two backseat windows and the divider between the passengers and the driver, which didn't exactly give Ali any indication of where they were going, not to mention Ashlyn wouldn't say a peep. Once the car came to a stop, Ashlyn pocketed her phone and exited the car. Ali followed after and was surprised by the sight in front of her. An empty airplane runway with only one jet there. 

"What did I say about spending all this money?" Ali said while following Ashlyn up the steps into the jet. 

Ashlyn collapsed in one of seats and kicked her feet up on the small table in front of her. "It's not only for you so it's okay, besides this is for our V-Day getaway." She patted the seat next to her and took Ali's hand in her own once she sat. "Have you ever had sex on a private jet before?"

"You. Are. Ridiculous." Ali stated and grabbed a magazine from the pile. "So are you ever going to tell me where we're going?"

"Sure, we're going to an island." Ashlyn said nonchalantly as she looked through the private jet's window. 

"Huh. What's romantic about an island?"

"The island I'm taking you to is plenty romantic, it's right by the Caribbean, I'm sure you'll find it wonderful." Ashlyn smiled and kissed her cheek. "But you should try to sleep, we'll land pretty early in the morning." 

Ali nodded and tossed the magazine back on top of the rest, she pulled up the arm rest and cuddled into Ashlyn's side, leaning her head on her shoulder.

~~~

When Ali woke up, she found herself in a very comfortable king sized bed in a beautiful room that had an open glass door that led to a beautiful sight of the ocean, and at the moment a rising sun. She rubbed her eyes trying to get rid of some of her sleepiness. She looked down and saw she was in shorts and a loose sleep tank top, she couldn't remember putting them on. Ali frantically looked around for any sign of the blonde and was finally put at ease when said blonde exited from a room that Ali guessed was probably the bathroom. 

"I was semi-freaking out, I didn't know where you were or how I got here." Ali breathed a sigh of relief. 

"You were sleeping I didn't want to disturb to you, so I changed your clothes and put you to bed. Don't worry, I didn't look while I changed your clothes." Ashlyn supplied with a wink. 

"Thank you," Ali got a peek at the time and was surprised, "Why are you up right now, it's 6 am?"

"I always get up to see the sunrise, no matter where I am." Ashlyn answered and took the mug of coffee she left on the bedside. She stopped by the open glass doors before turning back to Ali, "Go back to sleep, I'll wake you up later."

Ali playfully rolled her eyes and followed her, she sat right in Ashlyn's lap and leaned back into her body. "Or I can stay right here and watch it with you."

Ashlyn smiled into her hair, "That works too."

~~~

They walked down the already populated streets of the island. Ali was enamored with the entire place, aside from the beautiful setting of the island, there was an air of unconditional accepting of people despite the fact that she and Ashlyn didn't look like any of the people who inhabited the island, they were still generous enough to interact with them in all ways possible. 

They came to a stop at a nice looking restaurant, Ashlyn held the door open for Ali and stepped up to the restaurant host. She told him their reservation and he led them up to the rooftop seating area. There were usually more tables and people seated there, but Ashlyn had bought the entire rooftop area for the night. So instead of ten tables, there was just one, covered by a red table cloth and a large vase of roses, all around the rooftop were candles lining the the area.

"This is beautiful." Ali said while still taking in the place. 

Ashlyn whispered something to host before taking Ali's hand and leading her to her seat, she kissed her softly and walked around to take her own seat. "I'm glad you like it."

The waiter brought back plenty of food and wine for them to choose from. They ate and laughed, going on about some trivial things like how Ashlyn was going to try again for the third time to get Ali on a boat without hurling, and how Ali was going to put itching powder in Ashlyn's underwear if she ever tried to get her on another boat ever again. The banter went back and forth, both women trying to trump the other's statement. Ashlyn waved her white napkin, symbolizing a truce with the brunette, which Ali agreed to. 

The waiter came back out with a plate of ice cream filled profiteroles covered in chocolate sauce, whipped cream and strawberry slices. Ashlyn watched as Ali's eyes went wide as the dessert came in. She took the brunette's hand and kissed her palm, "Happy Valentine's Day Ali."

Ali moved her chair so that she sat right next to Ashlyn and kissed her deeply. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do all of this, I would've settled for chocolates and Netflix. But for you to do all of this, thank you."

Ashlyn just had agoofy smile plastered on her face once Ali's lips left her own. "You're definitely welcome. Besides, if doing stuff like this will get me those kind of kisses, expect more in the future." Ashlyn joked, they've had plenty of make out sessions, whether it was at Ali's or her own place, but Ashlyn was a huge sucker for Ali's kisses.

"Okay, Casanova." Ali smiled. She took a knife and fork and began to cut them a piece out of the delicious looking dessert. Ashlyn allowed her to take the first and chuckled when Ali let out a satisfied moan. "These are sooo good."

Ashlyn took a bite as well and quickly agreed. They finished up their dessert pretty fast due to how good it was and entered the car that Ashlyn arranged to have pick them up. The backseat had a large bouquet of red roses with Ali's name on the card attached to the binder holding the flowers together.

"You just keep coming with these surprises, huh?" Ali commented while smelling the roses. 

Ashlyn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled them closer, "Only for you."

The car ride back was predictably short, and both women entered the large island bungalow. Ali quickly trimmed the bottom of the roses and found a vase to deposit them into. She headed into the shower, brushed her teeth after she was done and changed into some sleepwear. She climbed into the bed next to an already showered Ashlyn and kissed her collarbone. 

"Thank you again for tonight, I really do appreciate what you did." Ali said while cuddling into her side and running her fingertips on the exposed skin of Ashlyn's stomach. 

Ashlyn reached up with her other hand that wasn't under Ali and tilted her head up, she kissed her softly and briefly before running her tounge over her bottom lip. Once Ali parted her lips to allow her entry, she used her tounge to explore the brunette's mouth as their lips moved. Her hand went from Ali's chin to grip her hip as the kiss got more heated. Ali's hands gripped at Ashlyn's shirt, pulling her on top and never breaking the kiss. 

Once Ashlyn's body was fully resting on top of her own she let out a breathy moan. Ashlyn's body was like kryptonite to Ali, a small touch from her could erupt flames in her body. Possibly because thia relationship was new and Ali had those intense feelings that one usually gets in an early relationship. She tugged on tank top she was wearing, "Take it off." Ali said. 

Ashlyn was quick to obey, removing the shirt in one motion, giving Ali a view of her defined stomach up to her bare breasts. She sat back on her heels and ran her hands under Ali's thin camisole, "Let's get this off of you." She helped Ali remove the shirt as well and smiled when she caught sight of Ali's already perked up pink nipples. She laid Ali back down and starting from her bellybutton kissed up til she reached the swell of Ali's breasts. Ashlyn ran her tounge along the underside and hovered her mouth over the right nipple, looking up at Ali who stared back with darkened eyes. She closed her mouth over the nipple, swirling her tounge around it while pinching and rubbing the other one, all while moving her hips against Ali's. 

Ali's eyes shut tight, digging her fingers into Ashlyn's back, "Don't tease Ash, I fucking hate it."

"We'll get there soon." Ashlyn answered, making sure her lips made contact with her nipples with every word. 

"Ash please." Ali begged, already worked up just from the blonde's touches. 

Ashlyn ignored her pleas and moved to the other nipple, giving it the exact same treatment that she gave the other. She released the now reddish nipple and moved back up to kiss Ali while rubbing her thighs with her palms. "How wet are you for me?"

"Ash don't even." Ali growled. 

"If you don't answer my questions Ali, I'll leave you like this." Ashlyn replied while moving one of her hands to the band of her silk sleep shorts. "Now, how wet are you?"

"I'm soaking wet and I need you now." Ali answered and tried to buck her hips for any kind of friction but Ashlyn's heavier frame didn't allow her to.

Ashlyn slipped her hand into Ali's shorts and cupped her center, smiling at the the amount of wetness she was met with. She pulled her hand out and kissed Ali once more when she heard her let out a disapproving whine. She freed Ali of her shorts and moved her hips into her center, giving her some of the friction she wanted. "Where do you want me Ali. Tell me."

"I want you in me." Ali moaned while holding Ashlyn's hips so she buck her own against it. "I want you so badly right now."

"I know." Ashlyn breathed into her neck and slicked her fingers up with Ali's juices. She moved down her body and licked a broad line through her folds.

"Oh my god, Ashlyn keep going." Ali encouraged, her hips already beginning to move closer to Ashlyn's tounge. 

Ashlyn pushed her tounge inside her center and used her two slicked up fingers to rub tantalizingly slow circles on her clit, making Ali yell out. She continued pushing her tounge in and out, pleased with how much Ali was losing herself in it. She moved away from Ali's folds wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and before Ali could complain at the loss of her tounge, she replaced it with two of her fingers, driving them deep and already building a hard and fast rhythm. 

Ali moaned out her name like a spell, moving her hips to meet each thrust and digging her fingers into her back. Ali could feel herself about to fall over the edge of pleasure and my goodness did everything feel amazing. She felt Ashlyn curl her fingers and use her thumb to rub hard circles into her clit whole capturing her lips in another passionate kiss. She came with a silent yell and a soft moan in Ashlyn's mouth. 

Ashlyn slowed her fingers, bringing Ali down until she pushed her hand away. 

"Your turn," Ali smirked, although her eyes were still foggy from the orgasm, she wanted for Ashlyn to feel the same. It was their first time having sex with each and Ali wanted to reciprocate it. She flipped them over so that she was straddling the blonde's waist. She lifted her hips so she could reach under herself and find Ashlyn's folds with her fingers. "Mmm babe are you really this wet from getting me off?"

Ashlyn spread her legs more to give Ali better access, "What can I say, you're damn good motivation." She sucked in a sharp breath of air when she felt Ali's fingers push into her, she held onto Ali's hips and moved her hands down to her ass. "Keep going Al."

Ali kissed up her neck, making sure to leave a mark before reaching her lips and lightly biting her bottom lip. "Are you close?" Ali whispered.

"Yes, fucking hell Ali." Ashlyn struggled to say through the thrusts, she removed one hand from her ass and tangled it in her dark hair pulling her down to meet her lips, she pushed her hips up to meet Ali's hands and came with a loud expletive into her mouth. Ali removed her fingers and gave her another lingering kiss before laying completely spent on top of her. 

"This was one hell of a Valentine's day." Ali smiled, looking down at Ashlyn. 

"I told you this island was seriously romantic."


	12. Cockroach Madness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update of the day :) a bit of humor webbed in this one.

Ali walked into the kitchen and burst out laughing. Ashlyn was standing at the stove giving her a weird look. "No, you can't give me that look, when you look like an idiot." Ali laughed while clutching her stomach.

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes and pointed the spatula at Ali. "I think I look quite nice in your booty shorts aka sleep shorts. I mean what the hell are these supposed to cover?" Ashlyn said while playing with the band. "And this camisole is tight, I think I might've ripped the side trying to get it on."

Ali squatted down and continued laughing at the blonde, "You are ridiculous and you need to get out of my clothes before you stretch them."

"That's not fair, you get to wear mine." Ashlyn argued.

"Because I look cute in your oversized clothing, whereas you look like you screwed up while doing laundry." Ali countered and sat on the kitchen counter. "Besides, I do remember you saying that you'd want to 'jump my bones' if I ever came in wearing your clothes."

Ashlyn diced up some potatoes and toss them in a skillet with eggs and sausage. "Mmm that sounds nice right now, but I'm really hungry and I don't think a liquid diet will suffice." Ashlyn patted Ali's inner thigh for emphasis. 

"You're disgusting."

Ashlyn made a high pitched noise, "You weren't saying that last night." She split the food on two plates and pulled toast from the toaster. She turned back to Ali and rubbed her thighs, she gave her a lingering kiss. "I really liked last night, I'm glad that we got to do that. I really do like you."

Ali ran her palm across her cheek and kissed her again. "I'm glad too. And don't worry, I like you as well. But for the love of my eyes take my clothes off."

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and went back into their bedroom, "I'm gonna tease the fuck out of you next time." She called out as she changed. She came back in in her own clothes and sat at the table, "So what do you want to do today? I'm open for anything."

Ali tapped her chin in thought, "Mmm I don't know. What's there to do around here?"

"Well there's the beach, sight seeing, or we could just aimlessly walk the streets and gorge on street vendor's food." Ashlyn rambled, "Or, we could go back to our bed and have round two after breakfast."

"Sex and food, those are my choices." Ali answered in a snotty British accent. 

Ashlyn practically scarfed down her breakfast and rinsed of her plate. She turned back to Ali and clapped her hands, "Chop chop, let's go woman, I'm ready to have my way with you."

Ali shook her head at the women in front of her and finished her breakfast at a rather slow pace. Ashlyn scoffed and lifted her over her shoulder and laid a hand on her ass, her eyes went wide when she felt nothing but skin under the shirt. She grinned at the fact that Ali was wearing completely nothing under the shirt, she turned to their bedroom and deposited Ali on the bed ready to pounce on her but Ali raised up a hand. 

"We should do this in the shower. If we're going to go out, we might as well save time by doing it in the shower." Ali decided like it was a completely normal line of reasoning. She stood and closed Ashlyn's wide open mouth before leading them into the bathroom. 

There was a both a standing shower and a bathtub attached to the tile floor. Ali slipped her hands under Ashlyn's shirt, "Which one first?"

Ashlyn shuddered in response to Ali's rather cold fingers moving down her abs. She swallowed hard and jerked her head to the shower. Ali grinned and unbuttoned Ashlyn's shirt and tugged it off her body. She walked into the shower, turned on the shower head and allowed the water to cover her body while she ran her hands through her now wet hair. 

Ashlyn eyes watched her with a concentration she never knew she had. Once she had the sight of Ali's drenched body burned in her mind, she stripped off her clothes in probably an Olympic record time and lifted Ali into her arms. "You up for hard and fast baby?"

"Of course" Ali smirked and secured her hands on Ashlyn's shoulders. She let out a breathy sigh when she felt Ashlyn's long fingers spread her folds. She moved her hips up and sank onto her fingers, "Ahh Ash you feel so good in me." She made sure Ashlyn had a secure hold on her before moving her hips to ride her fingers. 

Ashlyn pushed her face into Ali's chest, making sure to pull a nipple in her mouth as she began thrusting into her at a hard and fast pace, always making sure to hit deep and curl her fingers at the end of each thrust. 

"Ash, baby fuck." Ali dropped her head into the crook of Ashlyn's shoulder, shuddering as she felt the waves of her orgasm building. "Baby I need more, harder."

Ashlyn complied and drove her fingers in harder with the help of her hips. She felt Ali's walls tighten around her fingers but still kept up her pace even after she heard Ali cum with a yell. She continued thrusting her fingers until Ali completely unraveled in her arms, feeling Ali's lips on her shoulder and then teeth biting down hard. She held Ali close to her as she felt her breathing go back to normal, she slipped her fingers out from Ali and sucked them clean. 

"I think this might be my favorite position." Ashlyn smirked. 

Ali lowered herself from Ashlyn's arms and still held onto her shoulders for balance. "I like it too, but your shoulders might not if I keep biting it like that." She stated and ran her fingers lightly over the mark. 

Ashlyn shrugged and grabbed the body wash and sponge. "I thought it was sexy. I never knew you were such a screamer and a bitter during sex."

Ali snatched the body wash and sponge from the blonde with a scowl. "Shut it."

Ashlyn wrapped her arms around Ali's waist and kissed up her neck starting from her shoulder. "I'm ready for my liquid diet you know."

"You are a sex deviant with a dirty mouth. Now we are going to shower because I want to try this island's street food." Ali stated in a no nonsense tone. 

They showered and started getting dressed. Ali was slipping on her sandals when she saw something crawl behind the dresser. She thought for a second that she had to be seeing things, but just to be sure she peered behind the dresser and jumped all the way onto the bed. 

"ASHLYN!!" Ali practically screeched. 

Ashlyn ran into the bedroom wide eyed. "What happened? Are you okay? Baby what's wrong?" She rambled while running her hands all along Ali to check for any injuries. 

"I'm not okay, look behind the dresser." Ali replied, still freaked out. She watched as Ashlyn moved closer to dresser. "Be careful."

Ashlyn breathed a sigh of relief when she looked behind the dresser. "Babe, it's just a cockroach. A rather big one but still a cockroach, nothing to be afraid of, if anything they're probably afraid of you."

"I don't care, kill that shit, because I will not stay in this place with that disgusting thing in here. Now kill it." 

Ashlyn grabbed the broom from the hallway and moved the dresser to the side, so that the only exit the cockroach had was where she was standing. She tightened her grip on the broom, ready to swing until the cockroach sprouted wings and started flying. Ashlyn throws the broom and starts running out of the room, nearly running into Ali as she was also making her exit, both screaming at the tops of their lungs.

Ali turned to Ashlyn with an incredulous look. "I can't believe you. 'It's just a cockroach'." Ali mocked. "You ran so fast I thought it was a crocodile."

"That shit had wings." Ashlyn said as if it that was the only plausible explanation. 

"We need to get out if here, that way we don't have to deal with the bug you let get away."

"Says miss stand on the bed and screech for help. Not to mention you almost elbowing my spleen on your way out of there." Ashlyn quipped.

"You were supposed to kill it. I called you specifically for that reason and you let it get away." Ali countered. "Anyways the back porch doors are open so it'll probably fly out while we roam the streets."

"Or more will fly in." Ashlyn mumbled and avoided the brunette's fist. 

~~~

Ashlyn swung Ali's hand as they walked, if she didn't then she'd probably lose her since she was so excited to try some of the vendor food. Ali dragged her from one selling fried plantains which they both loved since it was fried. Then they tried cajun spiced trout, it was delicious but Ali couldn't hold her own with spicy food and practically coughed out her lungs. They tried plenty more after those and decided to call it a day when Ashlyn leaned over holding her protruding stomach in pain.

They entered the bungalow, Ashlyn did so normally whole Ali walked in cautiously. Ashlyn rolled her eyes and grabbed a bottle of water to ease her upset stomach. 

"Stop being a baby Ali." Ashlyn stated as she guzzled down her water and watched Ali cautiously look around.

Ali playfully flipped her off and opened the kitchen cabinets. "I'm not being a baby, I'm being thorough."

Ashlyn shrugged and walked towards the bedroom when something caught her eye in the corner of the room where they put their dirty clothing, "Hey Ali."

"What?"

"You should definitely come and see this." Ashlyn snickered.

Ali was quick to stand in the bedroom doorway with her and screamed. "Kill it!"

"But it's on your bikini top." Ashlyn smiled in a mocking way, "A sexy bikini top if you ask me."

"Too bad, I'm never wearing it again. Now go and kill it." Ali stated with a nudge.

Ashlyn groaned, "But my stomach hur-" She stopped when she saw the look on Ali's face, "Let me get the broom and some insect spray."

Ali kissed her cheek as she left the doorway, "I love when we're on the same page."

Ashlyn went back inside the room with her broom and bug spray ready. She crept slowly near the insect and raised the broom, the cockroach once again flew, causing Ashlyn to jump a good three feet back and swing the broom erratically with a few yelps. She hoped Ali wasn't there to hear or see her because she knew Ali would never let her live it down. Just when Ashlyn was about to give up, the cockroach flew out the open back patio doors and far away. Ashlyn marched over and slammed the doors shut, muttering a 'good riddance'.

She narrowed her eyes at the brunette who was practically rolling on the floor in tears while clutching her cell phone. "What're you doing?" Ali showed her the screen and Ashlyn's eyes went wide when she saw the recording Ali had taken of her trying to kill the cockroach, the yelping was the worst part. "You better delete it Ali." She warned and tried to snatch the phone away.

"Nope." Ali grinned and stood. "I am extremely thankful that you got rid of the bug but my gosh Babe, you look damn ridiculous."

"Ali delete it." Ashlyn whined and tapped her foot on the ground getting impatient.

Ali stuck out her tounge and stripped off her clothing before climbing into the bed. "Make me."

Ashlyn pounced on her and frowned when Ali made a yelping sound to mock hers from earlier. "You're a meanie."

"But you love it." Ali stated and kissed her hard.


	13. Sick Day

A week passed since Ali and Ashlyn's Valentine's Day getaway. Ali returned back to work while Ashlyn had to leave the country for business reasons the moment they landed. To be honest, Ali missed her like crazy, maybe it was the feeling of finally dating again after so long that made her anxious, or maybe it was the fact that she was still basking in the newfound love feeling. Either way, she didn't mind it. Ashlyn would be calling soon to coordinate her landing specifics with Ali to pick her up from the airport.

Ali flinched back when she felt cold water sprinkle her face. "Pinoe stop it!" Ali whined. 

"Then pay attention to us and not your phone." Pinoe pointed out. 

Jesse laughed while waving a french fry around, "That's impossible Pinoe. She's in an intense battle with herself on much longer she can go without Ashlyn calling her."

"Buzz off." Ali scowled. She checked her phone's time once more and sighed. They were well into the afternoon and Ashlyn still hadn't called her. She was getting more and more worried, maybe because of the fact that Ashlyn flew a commercial airline rather than her usual private jet. Now Ali knew that there was nothing wrong with flying commercial airlines, but Ashlyn did have a high net worth and the fact that Ali has watched every Law & Order episode twice, made every kind of bad thing that might have a possibility of happening rampage her brain. 

"Earth to Krieger." Megan said loudly as she snapped her fingers in her face. 

Ali moved it away and checked her phone once again. "What Pinoe?"

"She's fine, her flight probably has a delayed landing and she'll call you when she's able." Pinoe assured with a hand squeeze. "My gosh is this 'honeymoon' stage in your relationship insufferable."

"I know, really I do. I don't want to freak out but I feel like it's necessary." Ali admitted and disregarded Pinoe's last comment.

"Probably because of all those crime shows you watch." Jesse said and pointed to Ali's phone which had just lit up with Ashlyn's face and started vibrating. 

Ali let out a thankful sigh and answered the phone. "Hey babe. Yea I'll come get you right now, just stay there. Okay I'll be there, bye." Ali hung up and practically started shoving everything into her purse while at the same time she was looking for her keys in the purse. 

"Whoa slow down." Jesse said in a tone that was near demanding, since Ali knocked over a cup of water into the floor. Pinoe patted Jesse's shoulder and shook her head at the oblivious brunette.

"We might need to buy dating for dummies for that girl because damn is she hooked bad." Pinoe whispered to the red head. 

"I have to go guys, Ashlyn's plane landed and I'll see yall later." Ali blurted out, finally smiling when she found her car keys. Ashlyn sounded terrible on the other line and Ali would be damned if she left her at the airport any longer than necessary. 

Ali walked briskly into the airport, looking around for any sight of the blonde. She broke out in a smile once she found her, power walking over to the unaware woman and lightly gripped her forearm to alert her of her presence. 

Ashlyn gave her a completely tired smile and took her hand. When Ali tried to give her a kiss she moved her head so that Ali's lips caught her cheek. "Ali you can't." Ashlyn rasped out, her voice sounded like gravel crunching together. 

Ali pulled away and looked her over, not understanding how she couldn't have seen the fact that Ashlyn looked terrible. She looked pale, worn-out, and sounded horrible. Just as she was checking off her mental checklist, Ashlyn let out a phlegm filled coughing fit that drew a few stares. Ali quickly took her hand and the suitcase and pulled them outside to her. Once everything was situated, Ali drove Ashlyn to her beach house and followed her inside to her bedroom. 

"Take off your clothes." Ali demanded.

Ashlyn gave her a tired smile, "Listen Al, I'm not one to refuse you, but I don't think you want to have sex with a sick person. I'm pretty sure 'fucking the flu out' isn't a true statement."

"It's not for sex, I'm going to help you bathe because clearly you look terrible." Ali stated. 

"Love you too Beautiful." Ashlyn joked but was met with Ali's no nonsense face and quickly started removing her clothes. When Ali said she was going to help her, it really meant that she was going to do everything for her. Ali wouldn't even let her squeeze the body wash onto the sponge. 'Help' also entailed picking out what she was going to wear, which meant a pajama set that she could've sworn she thrown away. 

Ali escorted her to the couch in front of the tv before slipping into the kitchen. "If you need anything, call me." Ali shouted over the tv while rummaging the refrigerator for ingredients for chicken soup. 

"I'm fine Al." Ashlyn yelled back and pulled out her phone to check her business emails.

After Ashlyn dozed off to a few too many reruns of Desperate Housewives, she felt soft lips meeting her cheek and a gentle shake. Ashlyn looked around bleary eyed before her drowsy eyes caught the steaming bowl of delicious smelling soup. 

"That smells amazing." Ashlyn mumbled, she sat up straight when she saw Ali pick up both the bowl and a spoon.

"I'm glad you think so." Ali murmured and gently blew on the hot liquid before lifting it to the blonde's open mouth. She smiled when she heard the blonde moan at how good it was and already had her mouth open for more. 

She finished feeding Ashlyn the soup and cleaned up before taking a seat next the blonde who kept shivering due to the slight fever she was running. She pulled her into her chest and allowed her to share her warmth. 

"You should shower too Al, you smell like sweat and chicken." Ashlyn mumbled while they stared at the tv.

"I will. I just want to make sure you're alright before I do."

Ashlyn nodded slightly and played with Ali's fingers. They sat in the noise of the tv until Ashlyn spoke up in her hoarse and tired voice. "Do you want to be my girlfriend? We've been dating for a while so I thought why not, you know? I like you and I would like nothing more than to be official and exclusive with you."

Ali grinned and nodded yes, "You know this is hands down the weirdest way I've ever been asked to be someone's girlfriend."

"What? Spoon feeding a sick woman that sounds horrible, isn't sexy and romantic enough for you." Ashlyn laughed.

Ali gently gave Ashlyn's shoulder a push before pulling her back into her chest. "Don't worry, it was sexy enough Stud."

"Ooo, no has ever called me Stud before. I like it." Ashlyn croaked.

"And as much as I like you, your voice sounds terrible andI really think you should stop talking." Ali said with a kiss to her forehead.

"Mmkay." Ashlyn made herself comfortable and closed her eyes.

~~~

Ashlyn woke up at night feeling a lot better than when she landed in Florida. She leaned over to snuggle into her new girlfriend but was met with cold bed sheets instead. She popped her head up and looked around, she could vaguely remember making it to her bedroom but she had no recollection of Ali leaving. 

"Ali?" Ashlyn called out as she left the room. She stepped into the now dark sunroom where she caught the brunette covered in a light and thin night robe, speaking into her phone. She leaned on the door frame and waited for her to finish. She didn't want to disturb her phone call, especially if it was something important, but a rather large sneeze roused Ali from her conversation. 

"I'll call you back, love you too. Bye." Ali rushed out and ended the call. She stood from the couch and approached her with a hand on bicep and forehead. "Hey, how do you feel?"

Ashlyn closed her eyes at her touch, "I'm okay. Who was on the phone."

"Just my brother Kyle. He was letting me know that he's coming down to see me in two months." Ali informed and took her hand, interlacing their fingers and led them back to bedroom. She removed her night robe and climbed into bed, laying her head onto Ashlyn's chest. 

"Would you mind if he came? I want to introduce you to him if that's okay with you." Ali asked, lightly drumming her fingertips on her stomach. 

Ashlyn rubbed her lower back and nodded, "Sure. You've already met my family, so I'm definitely down to meet him."

Ali grinned and kissed her briefly, "Believe me, you'll love him. He's just about as crazy as you are."

"I'll be the judge of that." Ashlyn mumbled with an already sleep heavy voice. Her hand movements slowing on Ali's back, and her breathing evening out.

Ali kissed the exposed sliver of skin through her button up pajama shirt, "Goodnight baby."


	14. Such a Terrible Golfer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this one finished right before I off to class, enjoy :)

Ali grins when she sees the married couple walk through the doors into her flower shop. She's quick to tap her second-in-command to take charge for a little while, while she said hello to Chris and Linda.

"Hey you two, I was wondering when yall would make true on that promise to come over." Ali smiled and gave each one a tight hug. She didn't know Chris and Linda all that well but it was well evident that she grew fond of the couple. They were understanding that night with Ashlyn's parents and grandmother, and it was something that Ali loved. And after that night she made sure to keep in contact with them, it was definitely a relationship that she cherished. 

"Of course we we're coming down. This one here made sure I didn't forget." Chris stated and hiked her thumb at his wife.

Linda pushed his shoulder and took Ali's hand, "Now I need your help in picking out some flowers for Chris and I's home."

"Of course, just follow me and we'll pick something that best suits it." Ali smiled as her and Linda looked through the various types of flowers. 

Chris stood at the side as he watched them go on about which kind of flower would best fit which color palate in the various rooms of Chris and Linda's home. They went on and on until they finally agreed on a few bouquets for the home Chris let out a victorious clap and cheer. Linda slapped his shoulder before turning to Ali. 

"What time do you get off at? Chris and I were going to go golfing, and were thinking of inviting you and Ashlyn along with us."

"Yea I'd love to come with. We close around 8 pm, is that okay."

"That's great actually. I've always been a fan of golfing at night. I'll call Ash when she gets off to come get you and we'll go." Linda smiled. "See you then Ali."

~~~

After Ali closed up shop and went home to get ready for their golfing outing. She had on Nike compression tights and a polo shirt with some Nike trainers. She was on her way out when she saw Ashlyn parked outside leaning on her sports car. Ali hopped down the steps and have her a brief kiss, "Hey babe."

"Looking good Al." Ashlyn smiled as she entered the car and began the drive to the golfing range. 

"You don't look to bad yourself, but I do remember telling you a few times to get rid of this gas guzzling, death trap." Ali joked with a squeeze to her hand. 

"This beauty? No way." Ashlyn guffawed as she parked in the empty golfing range lot. "I hope you're ready to get whipped baby."

"In your dreams blondie." Ali joked right back, stuck out her tounge and exited the car. 

Ashlyn caught up with Ali, Chris and Linda over by the club storage. Chris had rented out the golfing range for the entire night, he just wanted them to have a good night out without the disruption of people. 

Chris helped both his wife and Ali pick out some large gauge clubs to aid their accuracy, while him and Ashlyn grabbed more normal sized clubs. Chris and Linda left to go up to the mound up top while Ashlyn held Ali back. 

"Hey, let's make this interesting. We should have a give and take agreement. Whoever can hit the most balls the furthest will win. So if I win, we'll do something that I want." Ashlyn whispered, pressing her front into Ali's ass.

"But if I win, I get to do whatever I want with you." Ali said in a soft and sexy voice before pushing off her front and following Chris and Linda up to the mound. 

The place was essentially like Top Golf, no caddys were needed, you just stand at the top and swing until your need was sated. They were shamelessly talking smack to each other while knocking the balls down the hill. Chris looked like a pro golfer right out of the US Open, Linda didn't look too bad herself, although her form was noticeably different than her husband, but the blonde woman was good. 

It was Ali's first time ever going golfing, she never really found the sport interesting like how almost all middle aged to older age individuals did. But somehow for her first try she was pretty good, maybe it was the fact that she might be a natural at the sport or it could mostly be down to the fact that she had one of the biggest drivers of the group. But what really surprised Ali was the fact that Ashlyn was absolutely terrible at golfing. The way how Ashlyn managed to continuously miss the ball and the golf tee had to be down to a science because Ali didn't think that it was possible.

Ali watched her miss once more and couldn't contain her laughter any longer. "How do you suck this much?"

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, "I'm being an absolutely great and awesome girlfriend by making you look great and not embarrassing you in front of my family. They don't judge but I'm being considerate."

"Bullshit." Chris said as if singing a song. "Ali, my sister is great at a lot of sports but golf ain't one of them. She has a better chance at hitting you with the club than the ball."

"Let's not lay it on thick, Chris." Ashlyn pointed, "I'm merely letting Ali win to boost her ego."

"Or despite all these years you and Chris have been golfing, you're still terrible at it." Linda added. 

Ashlyn frowned and crossed her arms. "You guys are bullies."

Ali patted her cheek before patting her ass. "On the bright side your ass looks great in those shorts." She whispered with a wink. 

"Eyes on the ball babe," Ashlyn said before correcting her stance, which looked very good and then swung again, only to miss once again. Ali, Chris, and Linda all snorted at the failed but quickly turned away when she gave them evil eyes.

They played some more before Linda stopped them for a quick dinner she brought with her. After they finished up the food, Chris had to call it day, remembering that he and Ashlyn had to be at the company early. They said their goodbyes before leaving in the same groups they came in. 

~~~

Ashlyn sat on her bed, drumming her fingers on the bed. "I think it's safe to say you won tonight. So what do you want to do?"

Ali just gave her an unreadable look before climbing onto the bed and straddling her lap. "I'm going to do whatever I want with you, I believe that was the bargain."

"I'm game." 

"Good, then you'll love this as much as I will." Ali remarked with a sexy grin and kissed her deeply. She felt Ashlyn's hands grip her waist and knew she already had the blonde like putty. She pushed Ashlyn to lie on her back and held a finger to her lips when she saw her about to protest. "No touching until I tell you to." Once she saw the normally assertive blonde nod, she knew she'd won. 

Ali kissed down her body, making sure to drag her teeth and tounge over any spot that she previously sucked on. She pulled Ashlyn's shirt open for more room and guided an already hard nipple into her mouth. She felt Ashlyn's hands wonder down to her ass with a firm grab and slapped them away.

"Babyyy" Ashlyn whined.

"No touching." Ali stated and went back to work. She touch, kissed and caressed everything except where Ashlyn needed her the most.

"Ali please, I'm sitting in an ocean over here." Ashlyn said in a joking matter but with lust filled eyes.

Ali sat back on her heels and pulled the blonde's shorts down, revealing her very wet center. "I guess you weren't lying." Ali commented as she slipped her fingers through, parting her wet lips and making light gestures over her clit.

Ashlyn's hips bucked up towards her fingers looking for any kind of release she could get. "C'mon Al, please. I need you so bad." She was wasn't above begging at this point.

Ali smiled and gave her a quick kiss before moving back down and taking her clit into her mouth and sucking on it while twirling her tounge. When Ashlyn's hips bucked up once more, she had to use her free hand to hold her down.

"Stop moving Ash." Ali spoke over her clit and slipped two fingers inside her before taking her clit back into her mouth.

Ashlyn just nodded quickly and gripped the sides of the bed. She let out a loud moan when Ali curled her fingers while moving them slow and deep. 

Ali kept her pace going for awhile, until she heard Ashlyn moaning incoherent things. She figured she tortured her enough and sped up her thrusts, moving faster and sucking harder until Ashlyn came with a loud yell. Ali ran tounge through her folds and felt Ashlyn shudder in sensitivity before crawling back up her body and kissing her deeply, allowing Ashlyn to taste herself.

"Holy shit Al, that was amazing." Ashlyn said while trying to regain her breath.

Ali smirked and was about to say something smart until Ashlyn flipped their positions so she was now on top. She kissed Ali deeply making sure to twirl her tounge around while lifting Ali's nightgown and grind their bare centers together. She heard Ali let out a little whine before kissing her again. She held both of Ali's wrists in one hand and slipped two fingers inside her core which Ali rose her hips to meet.

"No touching tonight for you either babe. Just let me do all work." Ashlyn smirked before moving her fingers and lips and reducing Ali to a moaning mess.

~~~

Ali woke up to Ashlyn's phone ringing on the bedside table. She barely raised her head up to check before it stopped ringing, prompting her to place herself back into Ashlyn's warm arms. The moment she laid her head back down was exactly when Ashlyn'sphone began blaring again, Ali let out a tired groan and grabbed the phone, noticing that it had 'G-Ma' for the caller ID along with 17 other missed calls from various people. She gave Ashlyn a soccer to wake up but the woman was like a corpse at the moment. So she answered it herself. Her eyes went wide at the older woman on the other line, she hung up after promise to get Ashlyn. 

This time she shook Ashlyn with much more resolve. When that wouldn't wake her up, she darted to the bathroom, filled a glass halfway with water and emptied it into the blonde's head. Ashlyn jolted up with a gasp and an angry face directed at her.

"Ali what the hell!" Ashlyn asked while pushing her now wet hair out of her face.

"You need to get dressed now." Ali stated seriously and quickly while looking through Ashlyn's clothes for something she could fit into.

Ashlyn jumped out of bed upon hearing Ali's serious tone and moved towards her. "Hey what's going on? Tell me."

Ali threw the clothes on the bed and took her hands, "Ash...Your dad is in the hospital, he's sick."

"What? What happened?!" Ashlyn yelled, her eyes were wide with fear.

Ali shook her head, "I don't know but we need to go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These two weeks are going to be busy for me (studying for midterms and then taking them.) /.\
> 
> I'm still writing and editing in any free time I have, so I'm getting some chapters done. I will still try to post regularly, everyday or every two days. :D


	15. Panic & Soothing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very surprised I got this done :)

Ashlyn ran into the hospital demanding the nurse at the front desk to tell her where her father was. The woman was panicking because of Ashlyn's increasingly scary mood right now, so Ali stepped in to calmly ask the woman. Once she finally blurted out the room number, Ashlyn was halfway down the hallway to his room. Ali thanked and apologized to the nurse before following Ashlyn to the room. She stepped in to see their grandma rubbing her son's forehead and whispering something she couldn't hear. Ashlyn was already by his side, holding onto his hand and whispering the same like her grandmother. 

Ali took a place to Linda who had her husband's hand in a vice-like grip. She placed a hand on his back to let him know she was there, both gave her a slight smile to appreciate her presence. Tammye had noticed her presence as well and gave a soundless thank you.

A knock sounded and a male doctor walked inside. "Hello, I'm Dr. Everett. I'm the doctor in charge of your husband Mrs. Harris."

"Please you have to find out what's wrong with him." Tammye all but begged.

"We will ma'am. Now that your husband is stable, we're going to run some tests and be able to give you all a definitive answer as to what happened. A nurse will be comming in a few minutes to take him to testing." Dr. Everett explained before leaving the room. 

True to his a word, in no more than five minutes two nurses came in to wheel Mike out of the room. He still hadn't awoke and although the nurses promised to take good care of him, both Grandma Harris and Tammye couldn't help but cry. Ashlyn enveloped both women in a tight hug while whispering 'It's gonna be okay'.

They waited for what seemed like hours, Ali and Linda went on coffee and food runs for the family. Some nurse would come in every now and then to keep them updated on how much time was left before the tests were finished. The family started off worried but then soon became agitated with how long everything was taking. 

Ashlyn was becoming increasingly frustrated so Ali pulled her out of the room and to the hospital garden where some patients walked around. She took Ashlyn's hand and led her to the bench. 

"He's gonna be okay, Ash." Ali stated. 

"How do you know?" Ashlyn said, her voice was void of any emotion but you could feel her sadness emanating from her form. "He didn't even wake up. He hasn't said anything at all. The doctors don't even know what's wrong with him."

"I know because your family are a resilient bunch and your father doesn't look like he's going to throw the towel in any time soon. And I would bet that he wants to see his family, he's not leaving any of you. I know that much." Ali reiterated. "And I will be with you every step of the way." Ali smiled and held her hand in her own.

Ashlyn wiped her tear filled eyes and kissed Ali with every ounce of passion and gratitude that she could muster. She broke the kiss, closed her eyes and leaned her forehead onto Ali's. "Thank you Ali, so much. You're here and I couldn't be more grateful for you."

Ali reached up and cupped her cheek, "I'm here for you, okay. Now let's go back to the room and see if he's back."

They walked hand in hand back to the room, Ali giving her a reassuring kiss before entering the room. Dr. Everett was already there standing next to an awake Mike, he smiled when he saw his daughter enter the room.

"Hey dad," Ashlyn said with a small grin and kissed his cheek, "You scared the crap out of us."

"I'm sorry Ashlyn, but I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Mike whispered and held her close.

Ali just stood by the doorway and watched the family hug Mike. She thought about how the situation could've been worse but she was extremely grateful that things took a turn for the better.

Dr. Everett waited for them to finish their moment before speaking up. "We finished testing and came to the conclusion that you have high blood pressure. After asking your wife on your daily habits, she informed me that you usually work long and late hours with a heavy workload. Not to mention the amount of hours of sleep you've been cutting. Because of all those factors and your age, your body was exhausted, putting strain on your heart, causing you to have a small heart attack. Luckily no damage was done other than you being unconscious for a while, but we'll still keep you here for two more days to watch you and then decide to release you."

"So he shouldn't work any more?" Tammye asked.

"Unless he can significantly decrease his work load, then yes he should stop working. I would advise Mike to retire. The next time he might not be too fortunate." Dr. Everett nodded grimly. 

"But I own a company, I can't just retire out of the blue." Mike started, he was ready to agrue but Ashlyn place a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry dad, Chris and I will take care of it. You just leave it to us." Ashlyn said. She knew what she was implying with her words by saying this, but she couldn't stomach the thought of coming close to losing him. She'd shoulder taking on the company. Her father nodded and relaxed back into the hospital bed.

"Okay, like I said he'll stay here for two additional days for observation, and if he's okay we'll send him home with you guys." Dr. Everett smile, everyone thanked him before he left the room. 

Everyone stuck around for a while longer relishing in the fact that Mike was healthy. They conversed and smiled until almost everyone's stomach grumbled at the fact that no one had really ate anything except the snacks and coffe Ali and Linda brought on their food runs. 

"I think you all should go eat. I'll be fine here." Mike stated, feeling a little bad because everyone was noticeably was hungry at his expense. He was glad for everyone that came and couldn't be happier for the love he was receiving. 

They all started filing out one by until it was just Ashlyn, her parents and grandma's. Ashlyn was halfway through the door but her father called her back. 

"Ashlyn we're really gonna have to talk about your place in the company." Mike stated. 

"Dad, you almost died today. The company should be the last thing on your mind." Ashlyn said and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Chris and I will take care of it."

"I know where you're coming from, but I have to retire. I'm up there with my age Ashlyn, I'm not getting any younger, and the workload isn't getting smaller." Mike grabbed her hand and held them in both of his own. "You're going to own the company Ash, you're ready for this, I know you are."

"I know Dad." Ashlyn whispered. 

"And you remember the other part about taking the company, right." Mike said. 

"I remember Dad."

"Ali's good for you, Ash, you know that, and we all do as well." Mike squeezed her hand. "You can do this, it'll be good for you. I've never steered you wrong."

"I know dad." Ashlyn replied looking anywhere but her parents. "I know."

Mike squeezed her shoulder and patted her back. "You've always made me proud Ashlyn, and I'm still proud of you. Your grandma will take care of the details pertaining to the other stuff."

"Okay Dad." Ashlyn nodded and hugged him before hugging her mom and grandma. She left the room and saw Ali waiting in the lobby, she let out a smile when Ali looked up and saw her. 

"Hey, you ready get something to eat?" Ali asked before giving her a kiss. 

"Starving" Ashlyn mumbled into her lips. "Where do you want to go?"

Ali thought about it for a second, "How about we go back to your place and order in Chinese."

"I'm down." Ashlyn agreed, swinging her arm around Ali's shoulder and leading them out. 

~~~

Chinese takeout boxes covered the glass coffee table in Ashlyn's living room. Ali had her legs curled up under herself and cuddled into Ashlyn's side under her arm. Ashlyn had her feet propped up on the table and the side of her head resting on Ali's. 

Ali ran her hands across Ashlyn's stomach. "Are you okay?" She could feel Ashlyn nod into her hair. "Really?"

"I'm okay Al. I just...a lot has happened today and I'm worn out, mentally and physically." Ashlyn said. 

"It's okay to cry, you know. It's okay to be vulnerable."

"I know, I know. I wish I could cry and be over with happened today, and I wish could but I can't. And I keep thinking about how I almost lost my dad today, no matter how much I smile or say I'm okay, I could've lost him today." Ashlyn spoke. 

"I'm here for you, whatever you need just tell me." Ali stated. 

Ashlyn pulled Ali sideways into her lap and held her tight, already resting her head back in her previous position. "You're doing more than enough for me."

Ali wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her face into her neck. "I'm glad." She pulled back and joined their lips in the same kiss like the before in the hospital.


	16. Marry Me?

Ashlyn and Chris stood with their father in the front of all the employees of the company. Emails had been sent earlier so no one was surprised by the sudden change in administration both in retirement and taking charge. 

"As you all saw in the email from earlier, I'll be retiring from my place as the owner and president of the company effectively. I will always remember-"

Ashlyn tuned her father out, she knew where this was leading and she didn't need hear it to know what her father was going to say. She looked on into the sea of employees, watching add their facial expressions change from hard concentration, laughter, smiles, and a few tears. She understood their loyalty the employees had to her father, he never treated them wrongly, so she understood the use of him giving a speech to them. But if she was honest, she wasn't a fan of how this was going to play out. So she tuned his entire speech out until she heard clapping and saw her father gesture to her.

"Please let me introduce this company's new interim and soon to be future president and owner; my daughter Ashlyn Harris."

The employees clapped and cheered for her while her father waved her over to the podium. Ashlyn flashed her dimpled smile, thanked her father before moving up to the podium. She lightly drummed her fingertips on the stained wooden podium, before looking up at the crowd and speaking.

~~~

Ashlyn collapsed into her office leather chair, groaning as she placed her head onto the hardwood desk. She heard the front door open and she groaned once again, "Chris leave me alone."

"I'm not your brother, Ashlyn." Grandma Harris answered which prompted an even louder groan from the 27 year old. "Sit up Ashlyn, you already know why I'm here."

Ashlyn reluctantly sat up in her chair and narrowed her eyes. This had to be the millionth time her grandma told her about the whole marriage situation in the span of the month of recovery her father had. Her grandma was becoming a large pain in her ass and she was fed up. "Of course I know why you're here. You're here to remind me for the one hundredth time that I need to put a rush on getting married aren't you? Well guess what Grandma, this isn't the 1900s where people get married off the fly. Three months is hardly grounds for a marriage proposal!" Ashlyn emphasized by slamming her hand on the desk.

"Compose yourself Ashlyn." Grandma Harris said with a disapproving look. "As you know you have about another month before the paperwork is processed and you're the official owner and president of this company. And like our agreement a few months ago, you're supposed to be married before then."

"You're giving me three fucking weeks to get married!?" Ashlyn spat, already infuriated by her grandmother's visit.

"Yes, I am." Grandma Harris replied. "Your mother and I, not to mention others will be setting up the venue and everything else. All you have to do is follow instructions and show up."

"Gram just stop, do you hear yourself? This isn't a fucking SIMS game. I'm a real person, Ali is a real person, I can't do this to her." Ashlyn argued. 

"That's fine that you have a stand on this matter but you've made your choice; take the company and get married." Grandma Harris stated and stood ready to leave. "Anything else Ashlyn?"

"Why can't I just continue dating Ali while owning the company? Isn't that good enough for you?"

Grandma Harris let out what sounded like a mix of a sad and regretful chuckle. "Because I don't trust you to Ashlyn. That's why." She said before exiting the office.

Ashlyn just watched her leave completely dumbfounded. 

~~~

"Ashlyn? Ash!" Ali said raising her voice.

Ashlyn snapped out of her thoughts as Ali placed the lasagna on the table of the dining room. She cleared her throat before speaking up, "What's up Babe?"

"You completely checked out. You've been like that since _you_ invited me for dinner. The same dinner which you completely forgot about and almost let burn." Ali explained, "What's going on?"

"Work." Ashlyn said in a clipped tone. She abruptly stood from the table and grabbed the knife to cut them pieces of the lasagna. 

"Do you want to talk about it? I don't know much about financial insurance, but I'm sure I could be a good listener." Ali offered and kissed Ashlyn's tank top exposed shoulder.

Ashlyn placed the knife down and turned to Ali, searching her eyes for some kind of answer to a question she didn't even know of. She rubbed her thumbs along Ali's palms and kissed her forehead. Her parent's and grandma were suffocating her and she felt completely cornered and helpless. She liked Ali a lot, but marriage already, that was too much, especially for herself that hadn't had much relationships for the past few years since she opted for the "single wild life". She could she see herself marrying Ali, she didn't know when, but she was feeling pretty desperate at the moment.

"If I asked to marry me right now, what would you say?" Ashlyn practically choked out. Her eyes seemed like they were begging Ali to say yes, to say yes and make her feel a hell of a lot better because of what she was doing.

Ali gave her an extremely surprised look, "I-I...uh I don't. Are you really asking or is this a hypothetical question?"

"I'm asking." Ashlyn whispered, not even trusting her voice to sound any higher without cracking. She knew she sounded desperate, hell she probably looked the part too. She'd spent all day at work mulling over her talk with her grandma, thinking of any way she could get out of the predicament but came up with nothing.

Ali gave her a look of what Ashlyn believed to be understanding, but to be honest, she couldn't be sure of anything right now. Hell she couldn't even believe that she just blurted the question out to Ali like that. With Ali's face looking like how it did, Ashlyn knew she fucked up. Everything played a lot nicer in her head than it was now. Her heart was racing in her chest with every second that past. Ali looked to be on the cusp of saying no, but what did she expect with her impromptu proposal out of the blue. Ashlyn was close to taking the entire question back, but how the hell do you take a marriage proposal back? Do you say 'Sike just kidding?' Ashlyn was afraid to even move closer to Ali out of fear that she'd say no, but at this point whatever Ali said will decide her fate.

"Okay sure. Why not?" Ali replied in a soft voice, breaking the intense silence in the room.

"You said yes." Ashlyn said in disbelief and relief. "You said yes." She wrapped Ali up in her arms and kissed her hard. "You said yes! Oh my god, I love you so much!" Ashlyn practically yelled and kissed her once again. Ali giggled at the normally composed woman's repetition of statements. 

"Was that what was bothering you?" Ali asked, still in Ashlyn's arms and her legs tight around her waist. 

"Honestly, yes, but you said yes so I'm over the moon right now." Ashlyn said and kissed her once more. 

Ali just wiggled her way out of her arms and sat at the table. "So can we eat dinner now? I don't know about you but I'm kinda hungry."

Ashlyn gave a fake pout and sat down with her, "I really wanted to have my way with you." Ashlyn was a recovering mess right now, her heart had finally stopped racing and she could speak without the fear of her voice cracking. She in no way expected Ali to agree. She didn't know why she actually agreed but she was damn happy for it.

"Afterwards." Ali winked. "Besides, aren't you supposed to propose with a ring?"

Ashlyn went wide eyed and face palmed. "I have it, but my stupidity forgot it. Wait here." Ashlyn jogged into her bedroom and almost slipped in the process, laughing a bit when she heard "Be careful babe!" She went to her side of the bedroom and pulled a ring box out from a drawer. She had purchased the ring a few days after her father had been discharged from the hospital. Of course she wasn't thinking of proposing, but for some reason she had to get it made. Although in her mind she wished she could have more time to do it right, her feelings for Ali would always be the same whether if she asked her after 3 months or 2 years of dating. She went back into the dining room and took Ali's hand, kneeling between her legs and gently slipping on the ring that fit perfectly. 

"Oh my goodness, Ash it's beautiful." Ali smiled as she looked at the princess diamond cut ring that had smaller diamonds going around the entire band. "This is for real isn't it?" Ali asked feeling her eyes begin to water. A part of Ali thought that Ashlyn was just yanking her chain, but seeing the ring on her finger really solidified it.

"It's for real baby." Ashlyn rubbed her thighs while nodding. 

"Well I love it. Now I just have to get you yours." Ali laughed while trying to hold back her tears. 

"Something simple babe, I'm not into those." Ashlyn laughed and pointed to the ring in Ali's finger.

"Sexy wedding band it is." Ali smiled, she took a few more bites from her dinner before wrapping everything up for leftovers and pulled Ashlyn up by the shirt into the bedroom by her tank top. "Why don't we go ahead and celebrate our new engagement."

Ashlyn practically purred before joining their lips. They were moving with such unison that Ashlyn didn't think could exist. The kisses, touches, and sounds all felt like they were amplified at the moment. Bringing each other to their peaks was another moment to be seen and treasured. The way how they both looked in each other's eyes, conveying their feelings for each other in a way that words couldn't hope to describe was something that they've never felt before. 

Both lay on their side looking at each other, Ashlyn propped up on her elbow brushing hair away from Ali's eyes. Ali's eyes fluttered closed with each touch, she scooted closer in the bed until their naked bodies practically touched. She kissed from Ashlyn's forehead to her nose, cheeks, and then finally her soft lips. 

"We're engaged." Ali said in a breathy voice. 

"That we are." Ashlyn nodded and pulled her into her, "I love you. Not just because you said yes to marrying me, but because you're you. You helped me when my dad got sick and not mention schooled me when I bought your clients off. You're something else Al, but I love you."

"Look at you being all mushy right now, but to add on to this mush fest, I do love you as well, as early as it may seem but I felt like you were a keeper when I went on that first date, and I guess with this beauty here on my finger, you really are a keeper. Now I just have to get a ring to fend off any women trying to creep in my lady." Ali rattled off and ended with a sound kiss to her already kiss swollen lips. 

"Just make sure you do those obnoxious poses to where you show your ring off." Ashlyn joked. 

"Hashtag 'Engaged after a few months'." Ali smiled. 

"So many loved filled months." Ashlyn replied which got an 'Aww' out of her fiancé and deep kiss. "Now that we've started the mush fest, I think we should get back to engagement love making." 

"I think you made a great decision Mrs. Krieger." Ali agreed. 

"Krieger? Pssh, girl please, I think you mean you're going to be a Harris now." Ashlyn corrected and climbed between her thighs, already sliding her finger through her folds.

"Whatever you say Sweetie," Ali moaned into her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ali said yes! One hell of a "proposal" on Ash's part ;)


	17. One Month Til Married

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter update :D because I'm tired of writing English papers :l

Ali sat at the café table, she was on her second cup of coffee and her nerves still were jumping all over the place. Her brother Kyle, and Jesse and Pinoe were on their way to the café. Today was the day she was going to inform both her friends and brother that was engaged. Given the fact that she'd been engaged for about a week and she figured it was time to tell them. Plus the large rock on her hand would be near impossible to even hope to hide. She fiddled with it as she drained her coffee cup. 

She fingered the rim of her empty coffee cup and let out a smile when she saw her friends and brother walk in. She greeted them all with hellos and kisses to the cheek. Once they all got seated and ordered, Ali spoke up. 

"I brought you guys here for a reason." Ali started but kept her hands in her lap. 

"It's not just to see my pretty face and buy me lunch?" Kyle laughed while batting his eyelashes with his hands under his chin. 

Ali pulled on his cheeks with her right hand, "No, despite as much as you hoped."

"You're preggo!?" Pinoe gasped. She looked entirely serious although it was completely biologically impossible for Ashlyn to get her pregnant. 

Ali sent a hard kick into Pinoe's knee and gave Jesse a warning through a look to not say anything stupid as well. Jesse just shrugged and put her hands up in a surrendering motion. "Nobody talk anymore, please. Your guesses are terrible and quite frankly wrong. I called yall here because-" Ali brought her left hand up to show the engagement ring, "I'm engaged."

All three table member's jaws dropped and a few expletives slipped out as they stared at the ring. Kyle grabbed her hand and pulled it closer to his face to make sure it was real, while both Jesse and Pinoe tried to shove their faces in as well to get a clearer look. 

"Holy shit Sis. H-How....when?" Kyle asked with his eyes still on the ring. 

"Ashlyn asked me a week ago and I said yes." Ali smiled. 

"Ashlyn? Who the hell is Ashlyn?" Kyle turned to each woman at the table.

"Ashlyn is my girlfriend, well actually my fiancé now." 

Kyle just nodded and sat back in his seat. "Damn, now I need to get married." He joked but turned back to his sister. "Are you sure about her Al?"

"I'm sure Kyle." Ali smiled. 

"Well then I'm happy for you, but mom and dad are gonna freak! In a good way, but still freak out nonetheless." Kyle clapped. "And I need to meet her, she has to pass the big brother test."

"Then I might end up single." Ali joked. 

"Huh I never thought Ashlyn had it in her to get married. You're one hell of a influence, Ali. But congratulations. I of course want to be the maid of honor, so write it down." Pinoe added. 

Ali just giggled and sipped her refilled coffee, "I'll do what I can Pin." She turned to look at Jesse who still had a light hold on her hand. "What's going through your mind, Jesse?"

"You're engaged." Jesse stated.

Pinoe looked between the two women and tapped Kyle's shoulder, "We should let them talk in private." Kyle gave a confused look but nodded anyways and followed the bleached blonde away from the table, giving his sister and friend a moment. 

"Jess what's going on?" 

Jesse blew out a long breath and lifted her eyes to meet Ali's. "I didn't think you'd be getting married when we agreed to stop our situation. I thought that maybe I'd still have a chance with you. Wishful thinking huh?"

"I'm still your friend, you're still one of my best friends." Ali said and took her hands. 

"I know that Ali. But you can't blame me for feeling like crap right now." Jesse gave a wistful laugh with a shake of her head. 

"I don't know what to tell you, Jess." Ali said quietly. "I love Ash, and I'm getting married to her. I wish it didn't hurt you like this but-"

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I shouldn't be making you sad on a day like this, I'm happy for you, honestly I am." Jesse smiled, one that didn't really even change her facial features. "If she makes you happy, then congratulations."

Ali leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Thank you Jesse." She knew Jesse was damn near heartbroken, and it hurt Ali because never did she ever want to hurt her friend like this. But the truth was; Ashlyn did make her happy and feel loved, and she didn't feel bad about accepting her wedding proposal.

Pinoe rapped her knuckles on the table, grabbing the women's attention. "Al, your fiancé is here." 

"Hey baby." Ashlyn grinned, giving her a sound kiss before sitting next to her. 

"What're you doing here? I thought you had work."

"I did but I took off early to pick you up." Ashlyn answered with another kiss. "Sorry to interrupt you guys, but my grandma is throwing an engagement party for Ali and I tonight. You guys can come too if you want, just ask Meg for the address."

They all nodded and watched as the couple got ready to leave. 

"Oh yea Ash, this is my brother Kyle, he came down yesterday. Kyle, this is Ashlyn my fiancé." Ali pointed to her brother, introducing the two. 

Ashlyn gave him a firm handshake with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, maybe we can really talk later tonight."

"I'll hold you to it."

Ashlyn nodded and took Ali's hand leading her out the café. "I want to take you dress shopping."

"I can buy my own dress, you know." Ali replied. 

"Yea but we're gonna be married soon and I want to spoil you, my soon to be wifey." Ashlyn stated with a matter of fact tone. 

"Sure babe." 

~~~ 

Ashlyn and Ali spent almost their entire time greeting families and other important people in corporations, Ashlyn would generally let Ali slip away at that point knowing she didn't care much for financial insurance plans. When they were saying hello or thank you to individuals, Ali finally got the chance to really introduce her brother to Ashlyn, and they hit it off pretty quickly, both seemed to be surf junkies and Ali couldn't help but find it adorable the way they talked about surf boards or the largest wave they've ever surfed.

Kyle wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulder and kissed the side of her head. "Mom and Dad will be proud and super excited for you. Plus Ashlyn seems like the real deal, sooo I'll forget the amount of time yall dated for before biting the bullet and getting hitched."

"You always say the sweetest things Ky." Ali joked and kissed his cheek. 

"Well they didn't call me smooth talker in high school for nothing."

Ali snorted and shook her hand, "Don't go there Ky, this is so not the appropriate place for that story."

"Suree, or maybe I should start telling Ashlyn snit some of your golden childhood embarrassing moments!" Kyle guffawed and turned his head in an attempt to look for Ashlyn. 

Ali quickly grabbed him by his shirt sleeve, "You little shit."

"If only those were the ones you took a a child." Kyle snickered and shielded his sister's slaps. "Sis, I'm sure Ash will love you, large skid marks and all."

"Shut up Kyle." Ali said and gave his ear a tug. 

Ashlyn dawned an amused face as the two siblings talked amongst themselves. She saw her grandma approach them and her amused look fall, her no nonsense grandma tended to have that effect on people. 

"Hey gram." Ashlyn greeted with a hug. "Gram, you remember Ali."

"Of course of I do, Silly." Grandma Harris slapped her shoulder with a little more force than necessary and went on to hug Ali. "I'm glad my granddaughter found someone like you."

"I'm glad I found someone like Ashlyn," Ali smiled and laced her fingers with Ashlyn's, giving her a quick kiss to her cheek. 

"Oh young love is something amazing." Grandma Harris said with a large smile that made Ashlyn frown as she pulled them to the front of the party goers. She whispered something to her granddaughter and Ashlyn nodded before going up to the front and getting everyone's attention. 

"I want to thank everyone for coming to celebrate Ali and I's engagement," Ashlyn started and shared a kiss with her fiancée for the added affect. "We couldn't ask for a more loving group to celebrate it with us. The of the wedding is still in the works-"

Grandma Harris gracefully interjected, "Actually the wedding will be in approximately one month. Your invitations should've came in a day ago. Alexandra, you're parents might get their own in a day or two."

Ashlyn turned to her grandma and gave her a look that practically embodied "what the hell", Ali's face expression wasn't far off from hers either. 

"Uhh...Um yes, according to my grandmother, our wedding is in a month. Thank you all for coming out tonight, and safe travels back home." Ashlyn concluded with a clap of her hands and led both Ali and her grandmother to an area away from others. 

Ali could sense the harsh tension between Ashlyn and Grandma Harris. They looked like two angry cats ready to go at each other at any given moment and Ali wanted to put in her two cents before they fought it out.

"We're getting married in a month?" Ali asked with a forced smile towards Ashlyn but her tone suggested 'you better tell me what the hell is going on'.

"I-I um." Ashlyn turned to her Grandma to fess up. She wasn't the one that came up with the insane idea to get married in a month, she wouldn't even know where to begin.

"I told Ashlyn about it once she told me about yall engagement." Grandma Harris smiled and patted her arm. "Now if you two will excuse me, I have people to say goodbye to." She said politely before walking out and leaving Ashlyn to dry.

Ali turned to her fiancé with a hard look, "You want to explain to me why WE aren't the ones planning OUR OWN WEDDING?!" Ali whispered harshly.

"My uh grandma, she uh always wanted to plan a wedding. She didn't get to with my mom and dad or Chris, so I'm her last hope." Ashlyn said off the bat, it wasn't a complete lie but it sure as hell wasn't close to the truth. 

"But one month, one freaking month? How is that even possible? And not to mention she already mailed out the invitations. How'd she know where my parents lived?" Ali spoke her questions like rapid fire, leaving Ashlyn no place to interject. 

"Babe, I just really don't know what to say. But I can promise you, I'll tell her to implement some of your ideas if you want." Ashlyn said. 

"Yea well make sure you tell her that I think planning a wedding in one month is insane." Ali grumbled, clearly not enthusiastic about the entire situation. "Can't you tell her to back off a bit?"

"I'm sorry Al, I'll talk to her and try to talk to her, but with my schedule at work, I don't get much free time nowadays. Even today was a struggle to get time off for this party." Ashlyn said and took Ali's hand, she reached up with the other to cup her cheek and kiss her softly.

Ali sighed into the kiss and leaned her forehead on Ashlyn's shoulder. "Okay, but I want you there for the important things."

"Like cake tasting?" Ashlyn cheesed. 

"Among other things." Ali nodded. 

"I can totally see you being a total bridezilla."

Ali lightly elbowed her and started walking, "Yea because your grandma is gonna give everyone a heart attack by planning a wedding this quick, someone's gonna have to fix it."

"Gosh, and here I thought you'd be ecstatic to become a Harris. Me and you on the cover of Forbes, 'Hottest and Richest Couple in Florida', that has a nice ring to it doesn't it?" Ashlyn joked with a huge smile. 

"You're lucky you're cute and I love you, otherwise I'd drop you like a hot potato." Ali joked and gave her a quick peck and pulled her in the direction to say goodnight to their Ashlyn's family and her friends.

They helped make sure the party was over with before heading back to Ashlyn's beach house. They already showered and got dressed for bed, Ali came into the bedroom with a glass one-fourth filled with wine and climbed into bed. Ashlyn was propped up on the headboard with her arms behind her head, watching some crime show that was on reruns. 

"Whatcha watching baby?" Ali asked and held the glass of wine in one hand and a novel from the bedside table in the other. 

"CSI." Ashlyn answered, Ali nodded and turned back into her novel. After watching more of the crime show she turned to Ali. "Hey Al."

"Hmmm?"

"Why don't you move in? I'm mean you practically live here, you have your own space for clothes and so on. Plus we're getting married soon." Ashlyn said, turning around to face Ali. 

"You want me to move into you party pad?" Ali asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"Beach house." Ashlyn corrected. "Or we can buy another house if you want."

"We don't need another house, this one is fine." Ali stated. "But of course I'd move in with you. I mean we already swap spit, so I think I could manage sharing a home with you." Ali joked. 

Ashlyn made a grossed out face before kissing Ali without spilling her wine. "Love you."

"Love you too babe."


	18. Krieger's Come By

Ashlyn sat back with her her belt undone and a mouth full of cake. She dropped the fork down on any of the many plates of sample wedding cakes. 

"Babe I can't eat anymore." Ashlyn mumbled while pointing to the plethora of cake samples. 

Ali gave her a look and wiped the blob of cake frosting from her fiancé's lips. "Well maybe if you didn't eat the entire sample, you wouldn't be feeling as sick as you do now."

"But they're sooo good." Ashlyn mumbled again. 

Ali playfully rolled her eyes and turned to Grandma Harris. "Seeing as how Ash ate five slices of the vanilla and chocolate marble cake, I think that's the one were going with." 

Grandma Harris nodded, which meant she approved of the choice before going up to the front to place the order. Ali snorted quietly at the woman. It was a bit funny how Grandma wanted to give the appearance of free choice, but on the sly she would make looks and sounds when she didn't want them to pick something. The vanilla and chocolate marble cake was actually their third choice, but since it arguably tastier than their first choice, Ali let Grandma Harris' behavior slide.

Ashlyn wrapped her arms around Ali's waist and pulled her chair side by side next to her own. "Two more weeks Babe. You ready to be a Harris, and have to deal with me AND my sports car?"

"Baby your breath smells terrible," Ali cringed at the smell of too much buttercream frosting and watched as her fiancé gave herself a little breath check before shrugging. "Besides, I'm gonna sell that waste of money commonly known as your sports car once we tie the knot." Ali gave her a smile and pecked her lips. 

"You wouldn't dare sell my baby." Ashlyn said with an appalled expression which turned to a yelp and a look of pain when her grandma smacked the backside of her head. 

"If it's not a living, breathing, crying, or pooping baby, then by all means, Ali get rid of it." Grandma Harris added as she gathered her belongs and ignored the look her granddaughter was giving her. "Now come on ladies, we still need to make sure that Ali's flower shop has everything correct for the flowers for the wedding. We also need to get you both to your final suit and dress fitting."

"Aye aye captain." Ashlyn joked while rolling her eyes. Her grandma hasn't left them alone to do their own thing since the engagement party and Ashlyn would be lying if she wasn't a bit peeved by her commanding presence. 

"Cute. Or maybe you'd like to stay and help your mother finalize the color palate for the reception." Grandma quipped. 

"I think I'll stick to my suit fitting. Ali already drove me crazy with the differences in powder blue and baby blue. I definitely don't need to hear it from mom too." Ashlyn responded as they entered the chauffeured vehicle. 

"Good. Now Ali, has your parents responded to the wedding invitations?"

"Yes, they said they'll certainly be down here for the ceremony." Ali answered. 

Grandma Harris gave her a little side hug, "I'm glad to hear that and I can't wait to meet them. Now Ashlyn we're dropping you off first for your suit fitting while Ali and I will get her gown and flowers ready." She finished right at the moment the vehicle stopped at the tailoring shop.

Ashlyn kissed Ali deeply and whispered against her lips. "Don't let my grandma drive you off the wall. I'll see you by the end of the day." 

"No promises, but mmkay." 

~~~

Ali stood in front of the large, three paneled stand up mirror as the seamstress finished up the last part of the dress they needed to have re-done. Once the woman; Ingrid, was finished, she stepped back and rested her hands on Ali's shoulders.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Sweetheart." Ingrid smiled and slipped out if the room to call Grandma Harris, leaving Ali to look at herself in the mirror. 

Ali's hands went up to her mouth in surprise as to how beautiful the gown was, and how beautiful she looked in it. She knew there were still a few accessories that needed to be added and her hair needed to be finished, but even in just her gown, she loved seeing her reflection. She now understood the power of wedding dresses.

She heard Grandma Harris clear her throat to get her attention as she walked inside. "You look amazing Ali. And I have a surprise that I think you'll love." She stuck her head out of the fitting room's curtains and called someone inside. Ali's eyes went almost cartoon-like wide as she saw her mother enter.

Ali lifted the hem of gown and ran full speed to her mother before wrapping her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. "I can't believe you're here, I thought yall were coming later on."

Deb held her daughter just as tight and kissed her hair multiple times. "I know but Grandma Harris brought me and your father here earlier than we expected. You're father is over with Ashlyn probably giving her the third degree like he does with everyone."

Ali laughed and thought back to all the times her father did the same to her past boyfriends and girlfriends. She turned to Grandma Harris and squeezed her hand, "Thank you, really." Grandma Harris just waved her off with a smile and left the mother and daughter to catch up. 

"Oh Alex, you look beautiful." Deb smiled while wiping away a few tears that hadn't yet fallen. "I know Ashlyn is a good one and I haven't met yet, but that aside, I'm proud of you, so proud baby."

Ali tried to blink away some of her own building tears but laughed as they rolled down her cheeks. "Thank you mom, but you're making me cry and it's not even the wedding yet."

"Oops, my bad. You just look amazing. I can't wait to see your hair and makeup. Oh Sweetheart I'm excited." Deb all but squealed. "My baby's getting married!"

~~~

"Looking good Ash." Chris nodded as he helped his sister put her cufflinks in. 

"Who woulda thunk that I'd be getting married." Ashlyn chucked. 

"I think we were all tired of your wild single lifestyle, you wasted money and looked like an idiot doing so." Chris laughed. 

Ashlyn rolled her eyes at her brother and patiently waiting for the tailor to finish her suit jacket. "That's not going to happen anymore, I have Ali now."

"Yea because if it did, she'd kick your ass." 

"Probably. You know she wants to sell my sports car? She already got grandma to agree, next thing you know she'll be painting our house walls pink." Ashlyn joked. 

"I doubt it, my daughter isn't the kind of person to like the color pink like you'd think." A man with a mustache said, starling both Ashlyn and Chris. 

Ashlyn could swear the man was a dead ringer for Kyle, but didn't want to mistake the man with someone they might not be related to. "Uh who are you?"

"Ken Krieger, Alex's father. You must be Ashlyn." Ken informed with a hand extended towards her. 

Ashlyn was quick to join their hands in a firm handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir."

Ken nodded, "So you're getting married to my daughter."

"Yes sir." Ashlyn chuckled nervously, she could tell where this was leading and she just hoped the man would go easy on her. 

"I take it from the conversation I just heard and the lack of calling me for my blessing to marry my daughter, that you're far from conventional."

Ashlyn rubbed the back of her neck, "Yea, I'm usually far from it. But I really do adore your daughter, I wouldn't have asked her if I didn't mean it."

"That's great to hear but it brings me to my next point, three months is all it takes before you propose?" Ken said with a joking tone but Ashlyn could tell he was serious. 

"I guess I know what I want." Ashlyn replied while taking her finished suit jacket from the tailor. "I love Ali, and I didn't think time was a big issue. If you know what you want, why not cherish it, you know?"

Ken placed a firm hand on Ashlyn's shoulder which startled her a bit. "And here I was thinking my daughter made a mistake. I think you're a good one Ashlyn."

"Thank you sir."

"But as her father I have to tell you this. I love my daughter very much, and I don't want to ever see her hurt. And if I ever do, I don't care how much money you have or who you are, I'll make you sorry you ever did that." Ken said with such seriousness that both Harris siblings were stunned. "Understood Harris?"

"Crystal, sir." Ashlyn gulped. "But sir, I would never hurt her, intentionally or unintentionally." 

"Good, well I'm off to meet my daughter. I'll see you two later." Ken said as he waved and left.

Chris burst out laughing the minute he made sure that Ken was out of hearing vicinity. He grabbed his sister's shoulders and gave them a shake, "You better not fuck up, or Mr. Mafia Boss there is gonna cut your imaginary balls."

Ashlyn gave a disheartened laugh, "I guess Al forgot to mention her dad's a thug."

At Ashlyn's statement Chris bent over laughing with tears in his eyes. "The funniest thing is that he was wearing shorts and a fucking polo shirt, but had the demeanor of a scary ass dude. I repeat with caution, don't hurt her Ash."

"I would never, you have my word on that." Ashlyn replied with attitude. She was put off that her brother even thought she'd hurt Ali in some way. 

Chris raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, just making sure."

"Good." Ashlyn lightly tugged on the suit jacket, pleased with its fit and turned to the tailor. "I'll take it."

~~~

By the end of the day everything that needed to be done was accomplished. Ashlyn was setting the table for dinner while Ali finished up the grilled chicken and brown rice. Once everything was plated, they ate.

"My mom said that my dad came over to meet you. How'd it go?" Ali smiled as she cut her chicken. 

"It went as well as it would ever go. But he told me never to hurt you, and I told him that I never would. I never plan to, because I love you." Ashlyn reached over and covered Ali's hand with her own. 

"You're sweet." Ali stated.

"And I meant what I told him." 

Ali playfully narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to her fiancée, "You always get all mushy gushy during dinner and then it makes me all hot and bothered, and then I want have sex with you. But I'm hungry."

Ashlyn snorted, "I'm trying to be sweet and thoughtful, and you're on a one track train to sex town."

"Believe me, I love to hear these things from you, but I can't help it if hearing those things turn me on." Ali shrugged. 

Ashlyn wagged her finger at Ali, "You are a dirty, dirty girl." Ashlyn spoke in a low voice. "But because I'm the best fiancé ever, I'll let you eat and then we can get all hot and bothered beneath the sheets."

"We are gonna have one hell of a honeymoon." Ali giggled. 

"Two more weeks babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wedding time is next :)


	19. Wedding Jitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated! :D

Ashlyn paced around the room while Chris tapped his fingers on the door hinge. She stopped every now and then to mutter a few things to herself, shake her head and continue her pacing and muttering.

"Ash! Sis it's going to be OK. Just calm down." Chris grabbed her shoulders to stop her pacing, "You're getting married in a few minutes to a wonderful woman that loves you so much."

Ashlyn looked at him like a deer in headlights. "I-I know, I'm just going crazy, you know, it's my first wedding. Of course I want it to be my only wedding but I think I'm gonna throw up. I-I think that sh-"

"Be quiet Ash! For god sakes. You look like a mad man standing in your underwear and dress shirt rambling about to stupid stuff. Ali loves you, and you're going to remember this day forever. The reception and your wedding night will be something to remember, the honeymoon and the rest of your lives is what matters. No one or anything else matters." Chris stated. "Today is for you and Ali, the end."

"Okay, okay. I'm just freaking out a little." Ashlyn chuckled. 

Chris rolled his eyes at his sister's understatement. "Ya damn right you were. Now get dressed and go out there and get married."

Ashlyn nodded and grabbed her clothing and started getting dressed. Chris gave a small but proud smile before slipping out of the room. Once Ashlyn heard a knock, she gave herself a few more once overs and blew out a calming breath.

"You're okay, Ashlyn. Today is for you and Ali, no one else." Ashlyn grinned at her words, feeling the tuth beneath her words and left the room.

~~~

Ali held her mother's hand in a death-like grip and surprisingly Tammye's as well. She'd been in the room for longer than she'd like, but she had been to her own share of weddings to know that the bride always comes in after a considerable amount of time from the time Ashlyn came in. 

Deb squeezed her daughter's hand because she could sense her daughter's anxiety and anxiousness rising up. "Sweetheart everything is going to be okay. It's okay to be nervous, it's your wedding day, but you're about to marry a woman that absolutely love."

"I know mom. I'm just ready to get it over with, you know? I love her but I really just want to kiss her like crazy and be her wife without the whole ceremony per say." Ali explained.

Tammye scratched her head in confusion, "But I thought you wanted a wedding. You were very involved in picking out a lot of the elements that went into both wedding and reception."

"Oh no, I really do want this wedding. But you know when you're in the moment and you want nothing more than to just be married to your person so bad." Ali added.

"Oh well that's a relief, but believe me you'll want nothing more than to leave the reception for your wedding night." Tammye winked before patting her thigh and getting ready to leave with Deb. Deb made sure to give her daughter another reassuring kiss to the forehead before leaving. 

Ali gave herself a long look in the mirror making sure that everything was correct. She grinned when her dad popped his head into the room.

"You ready Honey?" Ken smiled as his daughter linked her arm within his own.

"Absolutely." Ali whispered. 

Ken nodded and began to lead her up to the alter where Ashlyn was waiting for her. Once they stood in front of it, Ken gave Ali a kiss on the cheek and whispered into her ear. "You look beautiful Honey, I'm proud of you and I love you very much."

Ali couldn't help but tear up a bit as she smiled at her father's words, mouthing 'I love you too' before taking her place in front of Ashlyn, who she believed couldn't look anymore beautiful than she did in this moment. They both were staring into each other's eyes, communicating like they were the only ones there even as the priest spoke. They stayed like that until the 'I dos', exchanging rings and vows, and finally the time to seal their marriage with a kiss, which both women made a tad too deep for the eyes of everyone around them, but still garnered some unceremonial whoops from Pinoe in the seats. 

"I now pronounce you two as wife and wife. I am pleased to be the first to say and welcome Mrs. And Mrs.Ashlyn and Ali Harris." The priest said with a complete grin on his face as he watched the happy couple step down from the altar, hand in hand and sportting large grins on both of their faces. Everyone stood to clap for the new couple as the exited the Chapel. 

Once Ashlyn and Ali stepped out the Chapel, they started posing for the wedding pictures; ranging from your typical wedding kiss pose to Ashlyn carrying Ali bridal style and kissing her deeply. When they took more than enough pictures, they went to their awaiting limousine. When the doors closed Ali pulled her in tightly and kissed her.

"We're married, like really married." Ali said on her lips.

Ashlyn ran a hand on her slightly curled hair. She kissed her forehead, nose, and finally her lips. "I'm married to most beautiful woman in the world."

"Aren't you the charmer today." Ali giggled before pulling away.

"Charmer? Nah, I was a complete mess earlier today, but saying those words to you was just the truth." Ashlyn said. 

"You know the reception isn't for another hour or so, right?" Ali said and when she received a nod from her wife, she grinned. "Want to know how I want to spend that hour."

"Oh I think I know." Ashlyn scooted up to the divider between them and the driver, she rapped her knuckles hard on it and spoke a few words to get him to speed up. "My sweet talking has got you all hot and bothered again." Ashlyn whispered as she crossed the space between her and Ali. 

Ali bit her bottom lip with a little smile and pushed Ashlyn away by the chest. "I definitely want you more than anything, but I will not have sex with you in a limousine with the driver looking at us through the damn rear view mirror."

Ashlyn turned around and glared at the driver, "Eyes up front buddy!" The driver's eyes snapped back to the road. She turned back to Ali who had her hand up again to stop her. Ashlyn groaned and put her face in Ali's wedding dress clad lap. "I just want to love you."

"And you will...just in the comfort of our hotel room that your grandma booked." Ali patted her wife's hair and placed a kiss there. "Don't worry baby, I'm gonna rock your world after the reception." She felt Ashlyn perk up at her words and smiled, "Think about that as we sit through a long, three hour, sexual tension filled-" Ali ran her hand down to Ashlyn's inner thigh. "Reception. And you can't touch me in any way until the night ends."

"Al, you're gonna be a widow if you keep teasing me. You can tease me with a lot of things but sex ain't one of them, that's life threatening." Ashlyn muttered into her dress. 

"You're stuck with me babe."

"And I just want crazy monkey sex with you." Ashlyn whined as she rubbed her knee. 

The driver snickered and caused both women to raise their heads in his direction. 

~~~

Ashlyn and Ali walked into the reception hall, hand in hand and both changed into different clothing. Ashlyn in relaxed slacks that were pulled up over her ankles and a dress shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, Ali wore another white dress but one that stopped before her knee and was completely sleeveless. They basically looked like they could cover the front page of some famous bridal or entertainment magazine.

Ashlyn kissed the side of Ali's head as the DJ introduced them as a married couple. There were claps heard around the entire hall and not a dry eye either, some because of laughter and some because of how touching the words of Chris, Kyle, and Megan were as they took the stand to say a few quick speeches. The quickly took their place up at their table before getting called down to do the first dance beefier their parents would get one with each. Ashlyn held Ali more than close, with a hand on her lower back and the other holding hers; intertwining their fingers as they moved side to side to the music. Once their dance was over, their parents took the dance floor with them to get their dances, and then the rest of their families came on the dance floor. Some made total fools out of themselves but they loved the fact that everyone was comfortable and enjoying themselves above all. 

When the dances all ended, Ashlyn and Ali were escorted the the side of the hall where the catering crew wheeled out the wedding cake, a flavor Ashlyn knew extremely well from her antics at the cake tasting. Both women held onto the same knife and cut the first slice out; both taking a piece from the slice. 

"That better not reach my face." Ashlyn warned. 

Ali playfully rolled her eyes, "And if you push that in mine; no crazy monkey sex for you."

Ashlyn gave her a look to gauge her seriousness. "You drive a hard bargain but-" Ashlyn pushed the cake into Ali's unexpected mouth which drew laughs from the crowd of family and friends. "I think I can still get crazy monkey sex out of you even with cake on your face."

Ali gasped and shoved her handful of cake into Ashlyn's already open mouth. "Well I guess you'll be naming your hand Ali."

"Aww baby c'mere." Ashlyn cooed and kissed her cheek with a mouthful of cake. 

Ali groaned and wiped her cheek clean and gave her wife a kiss despite her cake filled mouth. "Love you."

"Me too." Ashlyn grinned and grabbed napkins as they headed back to their table. They watched over their families and friends as wedding cake and other types of food were brought out and served. Once a certain amount of time passed, alcohol was brought out, and in turn made the dance floor extremely fun. There was nothing better than a few buzzed people dancing terribly to the wrong paced music. Ashlyn and Ali joined them quickly, mingling with families and friends until Ashlyn was pulled off by her grandmother. 

Ali watched Ashlyn leave but brushed it off, she danced over to her brother, Pinoe and Jesse. She gave each a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

"You're fucking married Sis!" Kyle exclaimed with a slight slur of his words. 

Ali laughed at her buzzed brother and nodded. "I really am."

Pinoe slug an arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear as if it was a secret. "I'm drunk, you're married, and I'm horny. So if you could point me out to any avaliable women, then I would greatly appreciate it."

Ali just dragged Pinoe to an empty chair and sat her there with a bottle of water. "You're not hooking up at my wedding reception. Now drink your water and can it." 

Pinoe took the water and took a swig while slurring "Sober me up."

Ali laughed and shook her head ay her friend before turning back to the dance floor and taking Jesse's hand, "Do you want to dance."

Jesse nodded and held her in an appropriate manner. They swayed for a while before Jesse pulled back a bit.

"I'm happy for you All, really. You look amazing tonight and I think you should go find your wife." Jesse smiled.

"Why do I need to find Ash?"

"Because I don't want to ruin your night by doing something stupid that I'll regret. You look beautiful tonight and I'm happy for you but alcohol and feelings don't mix well." She chuckled. "You should be with your wife, not some gloomy chick. Celebrate, Ali, don't worry about me."

Ali nodded and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze before exiting the dance floor in search of her wife. After help from a few people she found Ashlyn and her grandmother outside talking intensely

"I'm proud of you Ashlyn, everyone is." Grandma Harris said. 

"Thank you Gram. I'm happy today really." Ashlyn said with a grin but it immediately dropped as her Grandma continued speaking.

"Good. Now you have the company and a wife to keep you on track-"

"Don't bring that up tonight, please!" Ashlyn practically menaced. 

Grandma Harris crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you angry? You're married to a wonderful woman and you got the company, that was the deal. You have both and you don't have to worry anymore." 

Ali covered her mouth with her hand appalled. She wanted to cry, hell she wanted to run, but she wasn't sure of what she heard. Maybe she heard everything wrong and missed something vital, but she didn't want to go crazy tonight over something she wasn't 100% sure of. But it was seeming as if she heard enough to decide that something was clearly wrong.

"You don't have to keep reminding me! Dad retired, I got married, and now I own the company. The end. Quit bringing it up! Okay, I remember everything about the deal Gram, I don't need you as my personal recorder to remind me!" Ashlyn yelled, clearly frustrated with the woman in front of her. 

"You can be mad, but you did it. You actually did something that wasn't stupid and it worked out for you." Grandma Harris pointed out. "You getting married would give you the company and now it's yours, now go back inside and celebrate with your wife."

Ali wiped the tears that unconsciously fell from her eyes. She wiped them quickly, not wanting her make up to run or for her eyes to be red; tell-tale signs of crying. But being duped and finding out on your wedding day cut hard like a knife. Not wanting to hear anymore, she spinned on her heels and moved quickly into the reception hall, banging the entrance door behind her. 

Ashlyn and Grandma Harris looked back to see who it was but saw no one.

"Go inside Ashlyn."

Ashlyn gave her grandmother a very hard stare, one that her grandma returned with intensity. Ashlyn scoffed and went back inside. She looked for her wife, and smiled when she spotted her talking to Chris and Linda. She approached them and put a hand on Ali's lower back and kissed her cheek. "Hey baby, I missed you."

Ali forced a smile but made sure it looked convincing. "Same here." Ali wanted nothing more than to slap her and push her away, after what she heard outside, she didn't even understand why she was even entertaining the blonde right now. 

Chris faked a gag but was rebuffed by his wife. "Anyways congratulations you two, I wouldn't blame yall if you sneaked out now for your wedding night. Because this place will be packed with drunk people by the time 1 am comes around."

Ashlyn wrapped her arm around Ali's waist to hold her tight, "Yea, I definitely wouldn't mind ditching this place." She ended with a chuckle. Ali bit the inside of her lip and grabbed Ashlyn's hand, pulling her towards the exit. Linda gave Ashlyn a surprised look, whereas Chris gave his sister a thumbs up and a wide grin.

The entire ride back to the hotel was silent, even though Ashlyn kept trying to initiate some kind of kissing or touches, Ali always stopped her advances. Once the car stopped at the hotel, Ali went straight up to the room not giving Ashlyn a chance to say anything, let alone catch up. Ashlyn misinterpreted it as excitement for the the activities that were about to take place and caught up with Ali inside the elevator. 

When they reached the door, Ashlyn slid the key card in and let Ali in first. She did a discrete fist pump and followed her inside. However instead of seeing a sultry looking Ali, she was met with a furious looking Ali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I left it like this on purpose ;)


	20. Only Fools Fall For You

Ashlyn and Ali walked into their honeymoon suite that the Harris family reserved for the married couple. Ashlyn's smile dropped her smile when she saw a furious looking Ali.

"Uh is something wrong? Al you can tell me, you know." Ashlyn said, moving closer to see if anything was physically wrong with her.

"I heard you and your grandma. I heard what you two said; what yall were talking about." Ali said as ran her hand through her loosely curled hair with a tired sigh and sat on the bed. She fingered her reception dress and looked at Ashlyn, she was waiting on her to say something, she owed her that much. However when Ashlyn did nothing but sigh and pour herself a drink from the mini-fridge Ali scoffed. 

"You really have nothing to say? Nothing at all?!" Ali said, raising her voice in frustration. 

Ashlyn turned around, reaching her hands back to rest on the dresser, leaning back on it as well. "What do you want me to say?"

"Are you fucking kidding me! I heard you at the reception, you and grandma talking about how you finally got the family business because you're married!"

Ashlyn set her glass of whiskey down and rubbed her temples, "I was in a terrible position. They kept bugging me about it, and I didn't know what else to do, but you have to believe-"

"You bastard." Ali stood and approached her new wife, as odd add it sounded. She finally knew what exactly Ashlyn and Grandma Harris were talking about, no more interpretation was needed. "You got with me so you could get the company. You used me."

"Ali I didn't use you. I really do love you, that's not a lie." Ashlyn explained.

"Liked me so much to get married after four months of being together. We said 'I love you', I moved in with you and you lied to me. You played me."

"You didn't have to agree to marry me Ali, you did that by yourself." 

"Because when you asked me I believed you, I did, but I also heard how desperate you sounded! You looked like crap and I did love you, so I wanted to believe that you were for real when you asked me. And it felt right, it felt honest and true. But now it seems like I've been played from the start." Ali argued. 

Ashlyn frowned when she heard the word 'desperate' from Ali's mouth, "I wasn't desperate, I asked you and you said yes."

"Well we need to get a divorce because I will not do this. I won't walk around living a damn lie because I was stupid enough to believe you!" Ali shouted.

"Calm down, Ali!" Ashlyn yelled back. 

"I won't! How the hell can I calm down? I want the damn divorce."

"Ali can we just stop arguing, as odd as it is today is our wedding night. We can spend it arguing or we can do what normal married couples do and you know; crazy monkey sex." Ashlyn joked with a smile that quickly dropped when she saw Ali's completely furious face. 

"Sex! That's what's on your fucking mind right now! After everything you did, sex is the only fucking thing on your mind? You need help." Ali said with disgust and walked over to her suitcase that she knew she didn't pack, but knew it was her own by the fact that her name was embroidered on it. 

"I need help?!" Ashlyn laughed incredulously, she could feel her anger rising up. "You're the one that used to whore it out to your fucking friend!" Ashlyn yelled. She knew she made an immense mistake. She knew it would hurt Ali and she pissed, but in her heart she really didn't want to hurt her. The words just came tumbling out of her mouth and she felt like an asshole the moment they left. She felt like an even bigger piece of shit when she saw the hurt clear as day in Ali's eyes. 

Ashlyn walked slowly to Ali but was stopped by Ali raising up her hands. "Al, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that. I swear."

"Don't talk to me." Ali shook her head and grabbed her suitcase, she wheeled it to the door and turned to face Ashlyn. "I really don't even want to see you or talk to you right now."

"Please don't leave Al, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." Ashlyn pleaded and tried to take her hand. 

"Don't touch me. I'm going home, don't come there." Ali stated and pulled her suitcase with her through the door. 

"Ali" Ashlyn said with desperation as she watched her go. Once Ali entered the elevator and watched it close, she slammed her fists into the door frame. "Fucking great, real fucking awesome job Ashlyn." She turned to head back into the vhoneymoon suite until she heard the elevator ding again, she jogged over to it hoping it was Ali but frowned when it was her brother. The look on his face said he knew something went down. 

"What did you do?!" Chris said, clearly trying to keep his disappointment in check. 

"I fucked up. I said something terrible to her." 

"Well what?! Because me and Linda were coming up to say goodnight, but instead I have Linda holding your sobbing wife right now! So what the hell did you say to her?!" Chris probed. He was at his last wit with his sister beating around the bush, especially when he saw how much of a sobbing mess Ali was moments ago. 

Ashlyn clenched her fists when she thought back to what she said, how disrespectful it was in the first place. "Look can we go inside first, I don't want to make a scene." Chris gave her a hard look before walking inside the hotel room. 

"Ali and her friend used to be friends with benefits, no one needed to tell me because I could read between the lines. They cut off their arrangement as soon as I took her out on our first date, Pinoe told me. And well Ali heard what our parents and grandma said about finally getting the company since dad was retiring because of his health. We said some bad things back and forth to each other and I snapped at her." Ashlyn said, feeling an inch tall at the moment. 

Chris tapped his hands impatiently on door, "So what did you say."

"She thought I was playing her Chris, but I swear I wasn't, I just didn't know what to do. So she said I needed help, and I got pissed. I told her-" Ashlyn paused, she wasn't even sure how something like that could come out of her mouth, she always wanted to treat people with respect and today she was far from it. She cleared her throat and continued, "I told her that I didn't need help, especially when she'd been whoring herself out to her best friend."

Chris stared wide eyed at his sister before shaking his head. "I don't know what to say to you. I warned you not to fuck this up and you gave me your word you wouldn't."

"I know, but I didn't mean those words about her, Chris. It just flew out of my mouth and I couldn't take it back. But god I want to." 

"Then fix this, not for our parents or grandma, but for you and Ali."

"She doesn't want to talk to me, or see me, heck she wants a divorce. What am I supposed to do?" Ashlyn asked weakly and collapsed in the king sized bed. 

"Well for starters, tell her the truth and do it fast. Obviously not today because I know for sure she doesn't want anything to do with you right now."

"I feel like shit, Chris."

"As you should." Chris stated. He checked his phone once he felt it vibrate and pocketed it. "Listen, I have to go, Ali is gonna stay with me and Linda for the night. I'll call you in the morning with details."

"What do I tell our parents and grandma?" Ashlyn asked. 

Chris shrugged with a hand on the doorknob. "You caused this, now figure out how to perform damage control."

Ashlyn just watched as her brother left before dropping her face into her hands in shame. She never meant to say those words, but in the end she had, she couldn't take them back and as a result she just gravely insulted a woman she loves dearly. How was she supposed to fix this, she really had no clue but it definitely wouldn't stop her from trying to do anything in her power to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now you might not like me too much after this chapter and we'll I can't blame ya :p But it always gets better right?


	21. Brothers Lie Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more angry Ali.

Linda entered the guest bedroom that her and Chris had in their home. She was carrying a mug of hot chamomile tea and sat next to Ali on the bed, placing the mug on the beside. She rubbed her hands up and down her back. Ali hadn't stopped sobbing since Chris and her saw Ali in the hotel lobby crying her eyes out. Linda didn't have a clue as to what was wrong with the normally cheerful brunette especially on her wedding night, it was like she took a complete 180 from her demeanor earlier. However she did have an inkling that her husband knew what was going on. 

"Ali, babe, you can talk to me. I want to help you but I don't know what's wrong." Linda prodded. She took Ali's hand to give the woman any kind of comfort she could. 

Ali let out a sniffle and reached out for the mug of tea while still holding onto Linda's hand. She blew on the hot liquid and took a drink from the mug. After she placed it back on the bedside she turned to Linda. "Who knew about this?" Ali asked, her voice extremely rough from crying. 

Linda went a bit wide eyed at Ali's accusative tone. "I don't know what you're talking about. If I did I'd want to help."

"You're lying to me, just like Ashlyn and everyone else did." Ali stated. 

"Ali I don't-"

"Who knew Ashlyn married me just so she could get the company? That she played me like a damn violin and made me look like an absolute fool in front of everyone. The relationship, the wedding, the reception; everything was a complete lie." Ali rattled out. 

Ali looked at Linda when she got no reply from the blonde woman. The clear cut look of complete confusion plastered on Linda's face brought Ali to the conclusion that Linda really did not know about it. "You didn't know."

"I had no idea that Ashlyn did this to you. I didn't think she would ever do something like that." Linda breathed out. 

"What about your husband? Did Chris know?"

Linda immediately shook her head 'no'. "He would never go along with something like this. Even so, he would tell me about it, he would never keep something like this to me."

Ali and Linda shared a look that made Linda doubt if her husband told her everything. Knowing how close the siblings are prompted her to leave the room in search of her husband. Ali just took the mug and attempted to blow on the hot liquid once more but her weak, steady breath turned into shuddering sobs once again. She heard Linda and Chris arguing quite loudly in the kitchen and wanted to feel bad for making them do so, but if Chris knew anything about the situation then Ali believed he deserved being chewed out by his wife. 

By the time Linda had re-entered the room, Ali had already finished her tea and was standing. Linda practically collapsed on the bed and put her face in her hands. Ali heard as shuddering sobs racked the the woman's body, she wanted to comfort her but she herself was too hurt to even have any to offer. So she opted to just watch and place her hand on back, it felt awkward but necessary. Linda blew out a hard breath and wiped her eyes. 

"He knew, he knew everything. He said that he didn't tell me because he knew I wouldn't like it." Linda spoke, her tone clearly showed how disappointed she was in her husband's actions. "I'm so sorry Ali, I feel horrible about this entire thing. If I'd known anything, I would've told you, I would've done something, anything."

Ali grabbed her phone and suitcase from the corner of the room and stood by the door. She knew Linda was sorry even though she had nothing to apologize for. But the fact of the matter was she couldn't stay here, she couldn't stay in the home of a man that knew about the farce that was hers and Ashlyn's relationship. It was embarrassing.

"I need to go." Ali said, watching as Linda's head snapped up in surprise.

"Ali, you don't have to go. I should tell Chris to find a hotel tonight because what he did is unacceptable. Husband or not." 

Ali shook her head 'no' and turned the doorknob. "I have to, Linda. And thank you, for talking and wanting to help, I needed this more than you could've imagined. But I just need to go home right now."

Linda nodded, knowing nothing she said could stop the brunette from leaving; her mind was already made up. Ali exited the room and ignored Chris as he tried to apologize to her as she left. 

"Ali just listen to me, please." Chris pleaded. "I knew about everything, but I tried to get them to stop. I'm sorry, I screwed up."

Ali spinned around to him and narrowed her eyes. "You're sorry? I made a complete fool of myself tonight and for months, the engagement, the marriage was all a fake. And I sat there tonight, smiling and believing that tonight was one of the best nights of my life, that I was spending it with friends and family and a woman who I thought loved me. But I had to hear from my said fiance's mouth, that this was basically a deal. And then I hear from your wife that you knew and even kept your own wife in the dark!" Ali practically yelled. "So you know what, you can take your sorry and shove it where the sun doesn't shine! Because I don't care and will probably never accept it."

Chris looked completely helpless and it irritated Ali. "I don't know what to say other than to apologize. I want to do anything to fix what my family and I did."

"You can't! You can't do anything to change this, and tell Ashlyn to leave me the hell alone, I don't want to see her, I don't want to hear about her, and tell your family to stay the hell away from me as well! The only person I can stomach to look at is Linda, but don't even try to use her as a messenger. I'm not staying the night here." Ali shouted and left the home. 

She had texted Jesse to pick her up while she drank the tea Linda left for her. Once she saw Jesse's car, Ali basically ran inside and stared out the window as Jesse drove back to their apartment. When they got back home Jesse grabbed the suitcase and brought it inside, she was going to ask what was wrong but heard the shower running, so she sat on the edge of her bed. Jesse had no idea what was going on, there was no reason for Ali to be here instead of at a hotel enjoying her wedding night. Part of Jesse was happy that Ali was here, but the other part knew that somethig was extrememly wrong even if Ali didn't say anything.

Ali walked out of the bathroom with a towel held tightly to her body. She pulled out the suitcase and frowned when she saw a bunch of lingerie folded inside presumably for what was supposed to be for her wedding night, but the sight of it right now just irritated her. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She muttered.

"Al what's going on? Aren't you supposed to be with Ashlyn right now?" Jesse asked as she laid down some of her own clothes for Ali to wear, since all of Ali's were at Ashlyn's beach house. 

Ali just scoffed, she dropped her towel then and there and grabbed the clothes Jesse brought for her. "I don't care about Ashlyn anymore, she's a liar and grade A piece of shit."

Jesse lightly grabbed her shoulders, rubbing her hands down her arms until she took her hands in her own. She led Ali to the bed and laid down with her, pulling her into a tight hold with Ali's head in her neck. "Talk to me." She could feel Ali shake her head, but Jesse prodded to point of sounding like she was begging. She heard Ali take a deep breath before explaining everything. She tightened her hold when Ali's cries became heavier, she kissed her face when Ali didn't think she could go on, and she held her until her cries subsided into sleep. Jesse pulled back a bit to see that her shirt was tear soaked and Ali's face covered with nearly dried tears, she took her time and gently dried them. 

Jesse wanted nothing more than to hold Ali, and kiss her like she was own to love. She wanted to protect her from these kinds of things; knowing that she'd never hurt her. But in this instance, getting to do these were in the worst situation possible. She didn't want Ali crying so hard in her arms that she fell asleep from it, she wanted her happy and level-headed. She leaned forward and kissed her forehead once again; letting her lips linger for a bit longer than before.

"I lov-" Jesse cut her own self off, knowing that she shouldn't say it like this. Not when the woman she wanted nothing more than to love was hurt and sleeping. She buried her face into Ali's hair and fell asleep herself.

~~~

Ali stirred awake in Jesse's room, semi disappointed that she wasn't in the room but once she left the room and saw her plating lunch, she smiled softly. "Morning Jess." She said as she grabbed a seat in the dining room.

"Hey, how are you?" Jesse asked, immediately coming over and hugging her.

Ali just laid her head on the red head's shoulder. "As well as I can be right now." 

Jesse tightened her hold before letting go and grabbing the plates so they could watch tv while they ate. She patted the seat next to her and handed her the plate. They watched whatever show was on, wven if it were a rerun that they'd seen more than enough times.

"Jess, why aren't you at work?" Ali asked, her eyes were still glued to the show.

"Maybe because my bestfriend just got married yesterday and found out everything was a sham. So I think you are a hell of a lot more important than work. And also because I'd want nothing more then to be here and take care of you, help you, and care for you. Besides I already called in sick." Jesse answered.

"Thank you." Ali whispered. Any louder would've reduced her to tears and she really didn't want to cry for the hundredth time in the shown of two days. 

"You already know how I feel about you Al. If you asked me to get you from Antarctica, I'd be there in a heartbeat." Jesse answered, she smiled when she felt Ali's head come to rest on her shoulder. She extended her arm around Ali's shoulder and held her. Everything felt right, it felt like how they were before Ashlyn came along and screwed it all up, and as much as she wanted to give Ashlyn a piece of mind, Ali was more important right now. 

~~~

Jesse startled awake by the sound of Ali accidently dropping something in the kitchen. She jumped up from the couch and went to her side, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Ali just gave her an amused look and pointed to the floor, where the water pitcher laid. "I was making something quick to eat when my elbow knocked it off the counter. You can calm down now, GI Joe."

Jesse bent down and grabbed the water pitcher and wiped up the mess, " Why are you dressed for work. Given everything that happened, wouldn't you want some time off?"

"Of course but I feel like I'll just go crazy sitting her and thinking about what she did. I need something or anything to take my mind off of it and gardening seems to be the best course of action." Ali explained. 

Jesse nodded and grabbed her car keys and a jacket, "C'mon, I'll go with you." Jesse informed and saw the look Ali was giving her. 

"Jess, you don't have to, and I know you're -"

"I won't hover, I promise." Jesse moved closer to cup her cheek, "I just want to make sure you're okay and not alone."

Ali closed her eyes at Jesse's touch and nodded, "Okay, you can come. But any hint of hovering and I'll send you back home."

"Got it." Jesse took her hand and led her to the car. She knew Ali was still raw from the ordeal with Ashlyn, but Jesse was glad that Ali wanted to take the initiative to not let it define her.

They pulled up to the flower shop, saying hello to few of the employees and Ali pointed to a seat. 

"Jess, sit there, I need to head over to the greenhouse and do some gardening." Ali said as she put on the gardening smock and gloves. She went into the greenhouse and did her usual routine of checking, feeding, pruning, and fertilizing the plants that filled the building. Her thoughts kept drifting back to yesterday night where her heart and dignity were completely crushed. She shook her head and went back to work. She was practically engrossed in it, her mind not thinking of Ashlyn and she felt at peace for moment until she heard a few screams and things crashing around in the shop. 

Ali pulled of her gloves and ran back into the shop and her eyes went wide. "What the hell are you two doing?! Stop it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know I left it at a semi-cliffhanger, but I had to, you know ;)


	22. Fights Lead to Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one today :)

"Jess, sit there, I need to head over to the greenhouse and do some gardening." Ali said as she put on the gardening smock and gloves. 

Jesse just nodded and allowed her to go. She sat in the general area of the shop; surfing through her phone for anything and nothing to keep herself from getting bored but after an hour, Jesse was ready to do something else. She was about to call for Ali to get them something to eat until she saw someone enter the shop and narrowed her eyes with a frown. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jesse practically snarled. 

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and tried to go around the red head that blocked her path to the greenhouse. "I need to talk to Ali and clearly you're in my way."

"She doesn't want anything to do with you, so do everyone a favor and take a hike."

"I'd like to hear it from Ali's mouth herself." Ashlyn frowned.

Jesse crossed her arms and stood her ground firmly. "Get. Out. And maybe you can find someone else to fuck around with, you pretentious rich, son of bitch."

Ashlyn took a large step forward and shoved Jesse hard. "Keep your mouth shut and get the hell out of my way."

Jesse caught herself on the couter and shoved Ashlyn back just as hard. "You first asshole! You and your family need help! Screwing around with someone like they're a fucking toy; you people are sick!"

Ashlyn lunged at Jesse, two fists getting good handfuls of the shirt Jesse doned and got into her face. "One more word and I swear I'll break your nose."

"Bite me." Jesse said and push Ashlyn off hard, causing her to stumble and fall down. Jesse took the opportunity to get on top of her and try to throw a punch, only to end up engaging in a hard fought wrestling match with the blonde. They rolled around for a while, knocking display potted plants on the floor, hitting into tables, and scaring a few customers. Ashlyn somehow hit her nose on a table and Jesse splitting her lip on an errant elbow. 

They pushed each other away, before both lunged back and grabbed fistfuls of each other's clothing. They each tried to do whatever they could to gain the upper hand but seemed to be neutral. They shoved each other once again, only this time Ashlyn bumped into a employee who had just walked inside the shop, and Jesse knocked a few more plants over. 

Ali pulled of her gloves and ran back into the shop and her eyes went wide. "What the hell are you two doing?! Stop it!"

Both Ashlyn and Jesse gave each other a look before turning to Ali. They both tried to speak at the same as Ali surveyed the damage in her flower shop. She stopped them with a raise of her hand and closed her eyes looking completely frustrated while she pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"What the hell do you two even think you were trying to do?" Ali growled as she stared the red head and blonde down. 

"She came here when she knows damn well you don't want to see her." Jesse explained. "I tried to get her to leave but apparently rich people don't have good hearing."

Ashlyn rolled her eyes at her last dig, "I just wanted to talk to you Ali. I want to explain everything. I Know I screwed up, but I want to make things right, I want you back." Ashlyn said as she stepped closer to Ali. Ali backed up but was hindered by the counter, Ashlyn closed the distance but still left a reasonable amount of space between them. 

"You can't be here, I don't want to talk to you." Ali spoke. 

"I just want to talk to you. You're my wife Ali and as much as-"

"Get out." Ali said. When Ashlyn made no effort to leave, Ali grabbed the shop phone and help it up. "Get out or I'll call the police."

"Ali please-"

"Just go! You lied to me, made me look like an absolute fool. How do I explain to my parents that I'm getting divorced the day after I just got married, the same day I thought was going to or supposed to be one of the best days of my life!? How do I tell my family, friends that I was unknowingly led into doing it?" Ali asked in such a broken voice that hit Ashlyn hard in the heart. 

"You don't have to explain anything to them, okay. I want to fix this, I want to mend everything that's broken, because I do love you and I do want you to be my wife, I want to stay married to you. I want to be able to make you happy, I don't want to hurt you like this." Ashlyn replied, taking Ali's hands in her own. 

"You're just saying this because you want to keep your company." 

"I swear I'm not, I mean this." 

Ali pulled her hands free and wiped her eyes. "I don't think that means much given the fact that you've lied to me already. So please just go so I can clean up my shop."

Ashlyn looked around and saw the group of people that gathered around during her scuffle with Jesse. The flower shop looked like a mad man came in angry and knocked things in the ground. Ashlyn felt even worse when she realized that she'd been the cause if this mess in addition to hurting Ali. She doesn't want to cause anymore of a disturbance than she already had. 

"Okay, I'll go." Ashlyn wanted nothing more than to kiss her but she knew that'd be pushing it. So she kept her eyes down and exited the shop. 

Ali turned to her employees and explained to them to help her clean everything up. Jesse tried to pull Ali off to the side but got rebuffed. 

"Why the hell would you fight with her? What the hell were you trying to prove. Out of all the things you could've done, you instead pick the dumbest one." Ali whispered harshly. 

"I was trying to get her to leave and things escalated. I didn't come with the intention to fight, you know that Al."

Ali sighed and ran her hands through her hair in exasperation. Part of her believed that Jesse would intentionally push Ashlyn's buttons, but the in all honesty Ali only cared about her shop at the moment. "I know, I just...just clean yourself up and go home. I'll be fine."

"I don't have to leave Ali. I'll just sit here and nothing will happen-"

"Jess please just go home. I'll call if I need you." Ali sighed tiredly. 

"Okay. I'll see you at home." Jesse mumbled and kissed the side of her head before leaving. 

~~~

Ali paid the cab driver as she stepped out of the vehicle and up the steps to Ashlyn's beach house. It wasn't 'their' place anymore, Ali didn't want it. She rang the doorbell, knowing Ashlyn was home because of the presence of her sports car. Ashlyn opened the door with a confused smile and Ali wanted to set it straight immediately. 

"I'm just here to get my clothes, nothing else." Ali clarified and made her way to the bedroom. She began packing her belongings but she could feel Ashlyn staring at her from the doorway. "I know you want to say something, so spit it out."

"I love you, I really do. And although that might be hard to see through everything I've done, it's the truth. I messed up royally, but when I asked you to marry me, yes my grandma was breathing down my neck but I bought that ring weeks before she told me I needed to speed up things up. I felt like a douchebag the entire time, but when I could forget about it and just spend time with you, I felt loved and wanted to love. I do love you, Ali, and if I could go back in time and fix this I'd do it in a heartbeat." Ashlyn said, while standing a few feet from Ali. 

"Stop saying these things. You're a liar and I can't even tell what's the truth and what's a lie." Ali replied as she continued packing her clothing. 

Ashlyn wanted nothing more than to hold her from behind and proclaim what she was saying was the truth, but she knew she had to respect Ali's boundaries, especially since she caused them to rise again. "I'm not lying to you Al. Everything that's leaving my mouth is the plain truth. I love you, and I want you to live here with me, and I want to stay married. I know it's not all about me, but I don't know what to do without you Al, I'm lost."

Ali closed the suitcase and turned around to Ashlyn with anger and sadness in her face. "Explain everything. Don't lie, don't hide anything. Tell me the truth, now." Ali wanted the entire story and as much as she wanted to slap the blonde in front of her, she herself knew she deserved to hear the full story, so she sat on the edge of the bed and looked on expectantly. 

"Okay, I'll tell you." Ashlyn nodded and took a seat on the floor across from Ali.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think that was a good stopping place for today :) I'll most likely get some chapters written tomorrow.


	23. I Need Some Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ya go :)

Ashlyn explained everything to Ali. She didn't lie, she told everything and the truth. Of course Ali listened to her, and everytime something that led back to her grandmother was brought up Ali would look down so as to not let her tears fall. She told her about the proposition her family gave her, who knew about, and how many times they reminded her about it. She told her when she bought the wedding ring she used to propose to Ali with and why she did it; the same ring that wasn't present on the brunette's finger. She told her how she felt terrible about lying to her but thought if her feelings for her were true then it wasn't exactly lying. She told her how her grandma already had the wedding planned because she put her on a specific deadline on when to get married. And she admitted to feeling desperate when she asked for her hand in marriage but did love her, she made sure Ali knew it wasn't an empty proposal. She told her about how she and her grandmother fought at their reception and when Ali figured out out she didn't know what to do, and that she was extremely sorry for the cruel words she said to her that night. She also made sure that Ali knew she'd do anything to fix this, that she wanted to fix it.

Ashlyn let out a long breath, feeling a bit relieved that she was able to tell Ali the full story. She thought the hard part was over, that is until Ali dropped her face in her hands and started sobbing. The sight and sounds made Ashlyn feel like complete and utter crap. 

"Ali...I'm sorry-"

"Stop saying sorry! Just stop." Ali yelled through her sobs and hands. "I knew something was going on, I just knew it. No one gets engaged or married this fast. Not to mention that your family all thought it was completely normal." Ali said with a shake off her head. 

Ashlyn leaned break on the balls of her feet and looked down in shame. "How did you..."

"I'm not blind Ash. Your family interrogated me like a government background check. You asked me to marry you after a few months of dating, not to mention the fact that everytime you talked to your grandma, she always seemed to but you in a terrible mood. I guess she was the mastermind in it all, and your family members played their part. I'm just the idiot that got suckered into this."

"Al, I did not intend to hurt you, I promise you that."

"How could you not?!" Ali asked incredulously, "You lied to me and strung me along without ever telling the truth until it blew up in your face! And that's how you didn't intend to hurt me?!" Ali spat before putting her face back into her hands to stop her tears from falling. 

"I'm a complete idiot, I know. I don't have any excuses nor will I try to make any." Ashlyn said while she moved closer to her to the point where she was on her knees in front of Ali and her hands on Ali's knees. "But I want to make this better, I will do anything to make this better. I don't want you to cry or feel hurt, please tell me what I can do to fix this."

Ali raised her face from her hands and looked Ashlyn straight in the eyes. "You caused this, shouldn't you know how to fix it?"

"I wish I did because then I'd do it in a heartbeat. But I do know that I don't want you to leave, I want you to wear your ring again. I want us to be able to be back to when we were happy, even if it takes a while before we can, I want to try, not for the company or my family but for you and I." Ashlyn explained. 

"I can barely look at you right now. How the hell am I supposed to live here? How am I supposed to even want to attempt to work things out?"

Ashlyn covered Ali's hands with her own, "We take it one step at a time. If you still want to leave, I won't stop you. If you need time before you can talk to me, I'll give you however much you need and more."

"Are you lying? Because I can't tell, I couldn't tell months ago either." Ali asked as she stared down at Ashlyn's hands. 

Ashlyn shook her head. "I'm not lying. My feelings for you were never a lie. Sure the wedding was rushed and facilitated by my grandmother but I do care for you, I do love you; that was never a lie."

Ali stayed silent for a while, making no movement even when the pads of Ashlyn's thumbs brushed the tears from her cheeks. She'd listened to every word that Ashlyn said and didn't know what she wanted to do. A part of her wanted to stay and believe every word that left Ashlyn's mouth, but the other part told her to have a certain amount of skeptical thoughts in her mind. For the most part, Ali just didn't know, all she knew was that she'd been hurt and is still feeling the effects now. 

"I...I think I'm going to go." Ali mumbled and moved her hands away from Ashlyn's while she stood. Ashlyn stood with her and followed her to the front door. 

"Please don't shut me out Al, I don't know what I'd do if you did." Ashlyn said as she lightly held onto Ali's wrist. 

Ali just gave a weak nod without looking at her and left. She knew she left her suitcase but she just had to leave it, she didn't know why but she did. She hailed a cab back to her apartment where Jesse was already asleep on the couch, probably from waiting on her to come home. She grabbed a blanket from the closet and covered the red head before going to bed in her own room. 

~~~

Ali stood by the coffee pot waiting for the last bit of coffee beans to finish. She heard Jesse grumble herself awake before peeking over the top of the couch and at her.

"You want some coffe?" Ali said and raised her coffee mug.

"Yea, thank you." Jesse mumbled and ran her hands through her unruly hair before going to brush her teeth. Ali was pouring cream into her cup when she came back into the kitchen. "So..where were last night? I waited for you but you didn't come home." Jesse eyed her as she took the prepared cup of coffee.

"I did come home, just later than I expected." Ali answered and opened the fridge. "We need to go shopping, there's not much in here."

Jesse drummed the counter and frowned. "You never close the shop that late."

"Did you forget the mess you and Ashlyn caused? That took time besides I never said that the shop was the only place I went to." Ali said while grabbing a bagel and going over to the couch.

"You went to Ashlyn's place didn't you?" 

Ali ran her finger over bagel thinking over how to say it to Jesse. "Yes I did. But to get my clothes. But I left them there last night because of some stuff so I'll get them later." She flipped on the tv when she felt Jesse sink into the couch next to her. She felt her hand intertwine with hers and the other turn her head towards her. 

"You know how I feel about you Ali. You know I would never hurt you." Jesse started while she caressed her cheek with her other hand. 

"I know that Jesse." Ali sighed and pulled her hand free, she knew exactly where this was heading. 

"I could get your stuff for you, from Ashlyn's place, that why you don't have to do it." Jesse offered. 

Ali snorted and removed Jesse's hand from her face. "Yea right, and then I'll be bailing you out of jail the next day."

"Okay so I won't do that. Well what about the divorce? What are you going to do about that, and also your family?" Jesse asked, she wanted to know Ali's thought process on the subject, because she thought the faster they got Ashlyn out of their lives the better off they'd be. 

"I don't know what I'm going to do." Ali replied and laid sideways on the couch, bending them at the knee so they weren't in Jesse's lap. 

"You can't just stay married to someone that you don't love, someone that betrayed you." Jesse argued. 

"Why not? People do it all the time." Ali answered blankly with a bit of bite to it. She just wanted Jesse to stop talking because she was worn out about the subject. 

"Would you?!" Jesse asked with wide eyes, surprised with the answer she received. 

Ali rolled her eyes and continued watching tv. "I never said that."

Jesse abruptly stood from her place the couch and stood in front of Ali's view of the tv. "Then what are you saying?! That you'd stay with the woman that tricked you, the family that used you to benefit their company? That doesn't make any sense."

"I never said that either."

"Then what?!"

Ali rolled her eyes and stood from the couch as well, immediately getting ready to leave. "I don't know! I don't know what I want to do. I don't know how I want to feel about the entire situation! Now stop screaming at me and leave me alone! I don't need you breathing down my neck about a decision that you hope will benefit you! When I'm ready to decide on what I'm going to do, then I'll do it!" Ali yelled back and pushed her way around Jesse to get into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. 

"Ali wait." Jesse laid a hand on the closed bedroom door and leaned her head on it. "Ali I didn't mean to yell." When she heard no sound of shuffling around, she knocked. "Please let me in Ali."

Ali swung the door and stared at her hard. "What? What else do you need to tell me?"

"I'm sorry-"

"Can you stop saying you're sorry." Ali said tiredly and sat on her bed, she patted the spot next to her and Jesse wasted no time in sitting. 

"Ali, can I ask you something?"

"I guess so." Ali replied.

"Do you still love Ashlyn? Is that why you got angry ealier?" Jesse felt Ali tense next her before lying down.

"I..." Ali bit the inside of her lip and stopped, she blew out a sigh and then continued. "Can we just sleep, I hate arguing with you and I don't want to talk anymore." Ali asked, she didn't know how to answer the question. If Jesse had asked if she was angry or mad at Ashlyn, then she easily could've answered that. But to ask if she loves her, that was something she was almost afraid to answer next to the woman she knew harbors deep feelings for her.

Jesse nodded and curled into her back, "You know I love you Ali, I don't need to date you to know that, and I'm sure you didn't need me to tell you this."

"I know Jesse." Ali whispered, her voice sounding somewhat harsh, as if she was tired of hearing it. 

"Do you know if you love me as well?"

"I..I don't know." Ali replied, sounding softer than her answer earlier. "But I know I feel something for you. Whenever you touch me-"

"Ali-" Jesse leaned up to stop her but Ali cut her off. 

"Not as sex Jess. I mean that your touch is calming, it relaxes me, it's you." Ali clarified. 

"I feel like there's a but coming up." Jesse chuckled a bit. 

"No buts. This is how I feel."

"Okay, I can take that. But whenever you're ready, I want to try us. If that's okay with you." Jesse said softly.

"I can agree to that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will probably be no update tomorrow, because it's the last day of my midterms (thank goodness) :p but I will definitely resume on Thursday :)


	24. Thank You Kyle

Ali tapped her fingers on the arch of the shop telephone. She hadn't talked to Ashlyn for days, barely over a week now. She just didn't know what to do, she didn't know if she should call her to talk, or continue ignoring her like she was doing now. Although her mind kept drifting back to Ashlyn, her body had not, she was firmly seated in her decision to think about what she should do. The part that killed her was that she still just as clueless now as when she first heard about what the Harris family had done. So she put her efforts into her flower shop, and business was going quite well.

Ali had just sent out the last of her employees on their last flower delivery run before lunch and called one of her favorite people. She needed to talk to someone that she had for ages and given her valuable advice, not someone she was currently married to nor someone who wanted to date her. She just didn't see how it was going to work out in her favor if she did. So she flipped the shop sign to 'Gone for lunch' and headed to to the back of the building where there was a small patio deck with a table and four chairs.

She was about to check her phone to see if he got lost but once she heard the store door chime ring, she stood and waited for them to make their way out to the porch. 

"Heyyy B." Kyle grinned and set the bag of lunch on the table before hugging his sister tightly. 

"I'm so glad you could come." Ali said into his neck.

"Girl that's what they all say, sis." Kyle cackled as his sister pushed him away in mock disgust. He took a seat and handed her the food the drink he got for her before getting his own. "So what's up? You seemed super serious on the phone earlier." Kyle asked as he took a bite of his sandwhich.

"It's about a situation where someone hurt someone else really bad and the person who was hurt doesn't know if they should stay with that person, but they still love them." Ali spoke and grabbed her iced tea to take a sip.

"Hypothetical?" Kyle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yea."

Kyle placed his sandwich down and gave his sister a hard look, trying to see if she'd give up anything. When she didn't budge, Kyle sighed and went. "Well, let me give you an example that happened with me. Remember when I dated that guy Landon?" 

"Yea I remember." Ali nodded. Landon was one of Kyle's first loves when he first came out as gay. 

"Yea and remember when he cheated on me, and I thought my world was over because I loved him so much and didn't know how to react to him cheating. I remember being comforted from you guys after telling yall, and everyone told me to drop him like a hot potato." Kyle laughed when he thought back to it. "And I thought I should've too, but I loved him so much as well. I thought that I could get through what he'd done because I loved him. I thought we'd be okay, but I was wrong. He hurt me, man he hurt me bad and I couldn't forgive him; I couldn't lie to him or myself by staying with him. I learned that I did love him, but after I thought about it, I realized that I didn't love him anymore. I realized that even though we had our great times, some things I just couldn't forgive and that's when my love for him died." Kyle explained, his voice had a bit of sadness twinged in it but it was nothing to change his demeanor. 

Ali nodded, she never heard the full story between her brother and Landon. He always just told her that things just didn't work out like how some relationships do. But this was something she needed to hear, she needed a new perspective and she was glad for Kyle helping her to get it.

"Is something going on with you and Ash? Does that question pertain to you?" Kyle asked. He want to see what his sister was hiding.

"No, it's not for me." Ali lied miserably, and it showed on her face. She knew he probably didn't believe her and when she saw his eyes flick down to her hand that bore no wedding ring she quickly covered it with her other hand.

Kyle cleared his throat and averted his eyes, they ate in a semi-welcomed silence, more so Ali welcomed it, whereas Kyle just used it to formulate his next response. 

"You know, I now know that I wouldn't stay or advocate for someone to stay in a relationship; new or old, where they were hurt gravely by their partner; whether it's physically or emotionally. I just cannot stand it, and in my opinion I don't know if what they did is forgivable, but I just can't encourage someone to stay in a relationship like that because they're supposed to love you not hurt you." Kyle stated, he saw his sister's face kind of fall and he knew he'd probably dimmed her thoughts. He reached his hand over and covered hers with his own. 

"However, that's just my opinion. If In your heart you can forgive them, move past it and never hold it against them, then that's fine too. If you can forgive them and still have the same amount of love for them, if not more, then forgive them, Alex. You both would deserve it." Kyle added. 

"How would you know if you could forgive them?" Ali asked, her eyes still down at the table. 

Kyle exhaled and smiled. "You'll know because you're miserable without them, and you can't get them off your mind either. I always say that the heart and love are some of the blindest things I've ever seen in my entire life. It's one of the most barest parts of us that's why so many people don't get to experience it save for a select few. And though they may be done of the blindest, they are some of the most insightful things we have. They can teach us and lead us, and help us to forgive and understand things that we couldn't at first glance. It unites us and helps us to love and grow."

Ali just let a small smile paint the corner of her face. "I think I understand that. It makes sense."

"I'm glad to hear that, but for you, my best advice would be to see how you honestly feel about the situation and take it from there. What do you feel is the best course of action, and is what Ashlyn did forgivable."

"It's not-", Ali raised her head to tell him that it wasn't about her or Ashlyn but he stopped her. 

"Girl, you don't have to explicitly say it, I can tell. I'm your big brother, and if I wasn't able to see the truth what kind of a big brother would I be?" Kyle smiled softly. "But Alex I will tell you this. It made be a hard subject to think about, and no one should rush you but just know that when you're ignoring Ashlyn like this, all she sees is that you're done with her. She's going to think you want a divorce and she might take the first step because she thinks that's what you want."

"I just need time to put my thoughts in order. So then I can actually decide on what I want to do. And as of right now, I just don't know." Ali replied. 

"Nah, you already know what you want to do, you're just too busy over thinking and duking it out in your head if you made the correct decision. When in fact you already know the answer to your decision." Kyle said and finished his sandwich. 

Ali just nodded. 

"Look, if you wait to long you'll never know. Ashlyn's got the cold shoulder from you already, now you need to tell her that you forgive her or you don't, or you'll never get the chance to because she'll leave." Kyle explained and picked up his trash. "If you don't want to lose her then you need to speak up and now. Also don't lead on your friend Jesse, I can tell how she feels about you, but even though your using her for comfort she sees it as having a chance with you. You know who you want, and what you need, don't drag it out. And don't let anyone make the choice for you, no matter who it might hurt."

Ali grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him into her signature tight hugs. "Thank you Kyle, thank you so much." 

Kyle held her just as tight and kissed the side of her head. "Whatever you pick Al, I will always be there for you. I mean that."

Ali nodded into his neck and mumbled something that the general public would never understand because of her endearing mumble. But since Kyle knew her like the back of his hand, so he heard her quite clearly. 

"Of course I'll keep this conversation between the both of us." Kyle chuckled with another kiss to her head. They stayed in their embrace until Kyle spoke, "I hate to cut things short but I have to head back to work."

"It's okay, I'll be fine here." Ali said and wiped her eyes as she pulled back. 

"Alright, I'll see you later, but in the event that I don't, please call me and tell me how it goes." Kyle said. 

"I will," Ali promised and held the store entrance door open for him as he left. Once he was gone, Ali sighed and eyed the folder of divorce lawyers inside. Kyle was right, she already knew what she wanted to do.


	25. Much Needed Family Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more so a filler chapter. I wrote to give me some time to finish writing and edit the next chapter. :)

"Hey Ash." Chris said as he laid down some hamburger patties and other essentials for building burgers. Linda came in right after him, holding a liter of soda in one hand and a six pack in the other. She gave Ashlyn a small smile, she may have been unhappy at Ashlyn's decision because of her parents, but she did want to mend things with her sister in law. 

Ashlyn nodded as she dropped her wet and sandy surfboard in a corner while patting her wetsuit down with a towel. "Hey guys, thanks for bringing me dinner."

"No problem, Linda and I thought it'd be good to swing by, and nothings better than grilling, beer and the ocean." Chris grinned as he looked for the charcoal to start up the grill on his sister's deck. 

"Cool, well I'm gonna get showered and I'll be out. 

"Make sure you don't take to too long, you're doing dome cooking as well." Linda added and got a chuckle from Ashlyn. She followed her into the bathroom and leaned on the wall. "Ash has she-"

"Don't talk about her, please." Ashlyn cut her off with a look through the mirror. She started taking off her wetsuit and threw it in a plastic bin that had her other dirty ones. 

"I know it hurts, but has she talked to you yet? Have you seen her?" Linda pestered. She could see how Ashlyn's shoulders visibly sank lower at each question. 

Ashlyn sat on the side of her bath tub and crossed her arms with a far off look. "It's been nearly two weeks and I haven't heard from her. I think she's..." Ashlyn's voice caught just a bit for Linda to know she was struggling. "I think she's done, Linda. I don't think she ever wants to see me again and I don't know what to do. I hurt her so bad, Lin, this is my fault." Ashlyn sobbed into her hands. 

Linda immediately stood by her and held her head to her stomach. "Listen to me, yes you messed up but don't beat yourself up about it. You made the steps to make things right and right now all you can do is wait. But I want you to know that you shouldn't have to wait forever, if you feel like she won't come around then Ash you have to take the initiative and end things. Is be best for both of you."

Ashlyn shook her head, "But I love her."

"I know but-"

"Could you watch over her? Just to make sure she's okay? Please Lin." Ashlyn asked leaning back to look in her eyes, practically pleading with her. 

Linda sighed and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll check up on her."

"Thanks." 

"Okay, take your shower and come out to eat. We're getting you fed tonight." Linda patted her shoulders and exited the bathroom. She went out to the deck where her husband was flipping burgers and hugged him around his middle and gave a light kiss to his shoulder blades. This was a large difference than when she'd just figured out about what her in laws did. However, Chris was her husband above all and accepted his apology, she had to, as much as she hated what they did, she knew they had to get past it.

"How is she?" Chris asked as he relaxed into his wife's touch. 

"Devastated. This thing is killing her."

"I figured, hopefully this business deal that's coming up will distract her a bit. I just hate seeing her hurt like this." Chris said and plated a few burgers. "I haven't seen her surf in a while, she used to only surf for fun; 'A way to clear the stress and the mind', she always said. I guess she filled to the brim about this entire thing."

"She wants me too check on Ali to make sure she's okay."

Chris chuckled and made the rest of the burgers, "That's just like her to worry about everyone else before herself."

Linda helped him bring it into the living room where Chris already had a football game ready on the dvr. Ashlyn was already propped up on the recliner with a beer in her hand and her feet on the coffee table. Chris and Linda laid out the burgers, chips, and drinks for easy access as Ashlyn flipped on the tv to the game.

In the three hours that Chris and Linda were there, they ate and joked around with each other. Chris and Ashlyn making and being the brunt of most of the jokes, while Linda mocked them both. They basically had fun the entire night, and Ashlyn couldn't believe it. It was the best she'd felt in days, she wasn't plagued with the thoughts of what she did to Ali and how she was on her bad side now. She didn't have any thoughts of divorce or even the company, it was just plain fun. And god was she grateful for it.

When everything was cleaned up, Ashlyn escorted them to the front door to say her goodbyes. They hugged and kissed with the promise of visiting each other soon. When Chris and Linda were out of sight, Ashlyn went back into her beach house and yanked the fridge open, only to frown of the sparsely decorated inside.

"I knew I forgot something." Ashlyn mumbled to herself. She glanced at the time and figured it wasn't too late to head to the grocery store. So she grabbed her keys and drove down to the grocery store. She took a cart and scanned the aisles grabbing the necessary food items, and taking a few guilty pleasures as well. She was pushing her cart down the aisle when she almost ran her cart into someone else's. 

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry." Ashlyn apologized, once she saw who it was, she wanted nothing more than to take it back. 

"Huh didn't expect to see you at all." Jesse said while holding onto her cart. 

"The feeling's mutual." Ashlyn said. "Listen I have to go, butI don't want to fight with you and I apologize for attacking you at the shop that day. I was frustrated and I didn't mean to."

Jesse's eyes widen in surprise at Ashlyn's words. "Yea, I uh I didn't mean to either, we were both heated and we did shit that we shouldn't have. I apologize as well."

"Good, so uh I'm gonna get going now, see ya Jesse." Ashlyn replied and gave a tight smile before starting to walk walk off. Once she paid and was back home, she sighed in her bed and reached over for her phone. She was feeling great after her brother and sister in law came by but once she saw Jesse, all her thoughts went back to Ali. She ran her thumb over her phone screen until it came to rest on Ali's contact name. She sighed one again and turned off her phone screen and leaned back into her pillows. 

"Time to sleep Ash, things will get better." Ashlyn mumbled to herself before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably post the last update in an hour or so, I have to finish editing it :) I think yall will like the last update ;)


	26. Always Welcome Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for today :)

Ashlyn drummed her fingers on the large, round oak table in the company conference room. They were currently in negotiations with another company from England trying to close a deal to spread their business onto foreign land; hence all of Ashlyn trips there. The meeting included her, Chris, their parents, and granmother. Although both her parents and grandmother were retired, they didn't want to take the chance of the deal going wrong; so they decided to be spectators to ensure its success. However, Ashlyn was barely listening to the chattering that was going on around her. Ali hadn't spoken to her in nearly two weeks and she was beginning to believe that there was no way to fix what she'd done. And because of that, she could barely pay attention to anything around her, droning them out seemed like the best option because at this point she really didn't care.

Ashlyn peeked at her phone when she thought it vibrated, only to see no new notifications and that she imagined it. She looked up and shrugged when she was met her grandmother's hard stare. Her grandmother mouthed "Put it away and pay attention". Ashlyn slipped her phone back into her pocket and joined in on the conversation. 

They talked for a few hours before separating to enjoy a English themed lunch to make their guests feel at ease. 

Ashlyn made nice by talking to a few while they received their food before leaving the room and heading into her office. "Janice, please tell my grandmother not to follow me or enter my office."

Janice nodded and swallowed, she would try her best but Grandma Harris was a handful despite her old age. "I will certainly send her your message, Ms. Harris."

Ashlyn nodded and closed her office door behind her. She took a seat in her leather office chair and closed her eyes. She felt terrible, absolutely terrible. She thought that somehow things would've gotten better between her and Ali after she explained everything. But if anything all it did was put a face to her betrayal and Ali's anger.

Throughout the days of complete radio silence from Ali, Ashlyn had to keep herself from going over to her apartment or flower shop, despite wanting nothing more than to do that, she knew she had to respect Ali's wishes and stay put. Linda did decide to keep an eye out for Ali, just to make sure she was fine. Linda agreed only after she gave her a well deserved earful of how disrespectful and awful Ashlyn was for doing what she did, but she also sympathized with her knowing how hard the entire situation had been on her. But most of all, Linda told her to grow up and face her parents and grandmother, she couldn't let them dictate her entire life, and to be frank Ashlyn agreed.

Ashlyn knocked her knuckles on the desk like she usually did before turning her chair around to turn on her computer. She printed out a few extra documents for the business deal they were trying to successfully close today. While the documents printed she walked over to her cabinet and eyed her alcohol choices before settling on scotch and pouring half a glass. She took a large gulp before pulling the printed documents free and stapling them together.

"Why are you drinking in the morning, Ashlyn?" Grandma Harris asked from her spot in the doorway.

"Jesus!" Ashlyn jumped and held the glass to her heart. "You scared the crap out of me. I thought I told Janice to specifically keep YOU out."

"Too bad." Grandma Harris walked forward and snatched the glass from her granddaughter's hands and placed it on the desk. "You came here to drink instead of talking to the executives that could seal this deal?" She stated in an accusing tone.

"Gram please, I'm not stupid. I'm printing out things for them to look at." Ashlyn corrected and reached for her scotch, only to be thwarted by her grandmother. 

"I don't believe you, besides if you did what you were supposed to while you were in England, you wouldn't need to print redundant documents!" Grandma Harris raised her voice with a glare. When Ashlyn refused to respond, she sighed hard. "Where's Ali, maybe she can help you keep your head on right."

At the mention of Ali, Ashlyn spinned around. She wasn't in the mood for her grandmother's chastising especially when she mentioned Ali because in her eyes her grandmother caused this mess. "She not here, nor is she coming! She hasn't talked to me for the past two weeks, and you want to know why?!"

"Lower your voice Ashlyn." Grandma Harris replied sternly, clearly not amused by her frustrated granddaughter. 

"No! She doesn't even want to loo-"

Ashlyn was cut off by the intercom on her desk buzzing and Janice's voice filing the office. "Ms.Harris, someone needs to see you."

Ashlyn ran her hand across her face in frustration before she buzzed back, "Tell them to come back later."

"It's urgent." 

"Fine let them in." Ashlyn sighed. She was a second from giving her grandma a well deserved yelling. She was tired of playing nice and acting as pawn. She was done, and after this business deal she was going to set everything right.

The door opened and Ali walk inside with a smile that didn't quite reach her ears but did the job of making her seem happy to be there.

"Ali, hey. What are you doing here?" Ashlyn asked with enough surprise for two people. 

Ali chucked and took a seat on one of the empty seats. "Your grandma left me plenty of messages."

"I'll leave you two, and Ashlyn be back in the conference room in five minutes." Grandma Harris informed before leaving. 

Ashlyn moved towards Ali only to have her raise her hand to stop her. Ashlyn stopped immediately and ribbed the back of her neck. "You didn't have to come Al, I wouldn't have forced you."

"I know." Ali said and picked at the seat before meeting her eyes. "But I didn't want you losing an important business deal because of this. Besides, your grandma informed me that the president of that company is a flower enthusiast, she thought I'd be of use here."

Ashlyn flexed her fists and ground her teeth, "She can't use you like that."

"Yall did already, at least this time it's of my own free will. Besides, I wouldn't mind talking to a fellow flower lover." Ali countered and stood. She frowned at herself for bringing up what happened in the past and using it against her. Ali didn't come here specifically just because Grandma Harris called her here, she wanted to help Ashlyn and she needed to follow her brother's advice and do things right. "We should head back before they get antsy."

Ashlyn sighed and nodded, she followed get out and back to conference room where they continued talking about the deal. Ali took on the role of conversing with the president about flowers, her knowledge on the subject captivated the man, grabbing his full attention. Ashlyn couldn't hide the fact that she was jealous of the man. It wasn't in a sexual way, but just at the fact that he could have full conversations with Ali and not leave one or the other feeling like crap, knowing that he had a clean slate with Ali and had never hurt her in the past; that's what she was jealous of. 

They ended the deal slower than Ashlyn would've liked, she just wanted to talk to Ali since she hadn't in two weeks. Talking to her was the only thing her brain was telling her to do, it was almost primal in a sense. And once the English business men filed out of the conference room, Ashlyn made her move. 

"Al, can we talk?" Ashlyn asked softly with a gentle hand on her bicep. She could feel her family's stare on them but didn't care. 

Ali knew this was coming and before she came to the company she came with the intent to finally resolve things after dragging things out, but at the moment she was losing all confidence that she came in with. 

"Do you still love me?" Ali's eyes snapped up at her with a confused look. "Because if you don't, let me call the divorce lawyer and we can just get it over with. If you want to move on, just tell me because I don't want to keep you in something that you clearly can't stand. But god, if there's a chance that you still love me, then please tell me how I can fix this; I don't want to lose you. I already can't stand what I did to you, I just want to make things right with you." Ashlyn said glumly. 

Ali broke their gaze and turned around to the door while fiddling with her fingers. Hearing Ashlyn like this broke her heart, and she knew that she was the cause of this. This was the last thing she wanted to do, and everything that Kyle said was coming true. But damn was Ali a complete med right now, her thoughts were jumbled and confused but she knew what she wanted to say, she just couldn't get it to come out properly. "I um I have to go. Congratulations on closing the business deal." She muttered before leaving the building. 

"Trouble in Paradise already? You've only been married for like a week." Mike joked with a chuckle as he watched how fast Ali left the room without so much of a hug or kiss. But clearly he was oblivious to exactly how severe the situation between Ashlyn and Ali was. Chris face palmed at his dad's words and knew Ashlyn was going to react terribly. 

"Trouble in paradise?" Ashlyn repeated with a sarcastic chuckle. "Bullshit, she fucking hates my guts! She doesn't want to talk to me, see me, all because I went along with yall stupid idea of getting married!"

Mike raised his eyebrows at his daughter's outburst. She never screamed at him, so for this to happen was out of the norm. "Ashlyn, it was a joke."

"I don't care! There's no marriage because we're probably getting divorced because she knows about the deal yall came up with. And I wish that it was all yall fault but I know it's not because I went along with it. I hurt someone that I love, made it seem like everything was lie, all for the sake of getting this stupid company!" Ashlyn stated while throwing her hands into the air. "But you know what, I don't even care anymore, I quit! I don't want this job if it's just going to hurt people. So find someone else to do your bidding."

Ashlyn left her family slack jaw as she slammed the conference door sit behind her. She made it down to her car in time to break down for the first time since Ali left her. She gripped the steering wheel as she cried into it, wishing that she could go back in time and change everything and do it right. 

~~~

Ali sat at the dinner table pushing around her broccoli and fish on the plate, clearly not interested in eating it. Jesse watched her from the other side of the table and put down her knife and fork. 

"You okay Ali? You really haven't touched your food." Jesse asked, reaching over to kiss and rub the palm of her hand. 

"I'm am idiot." Ali stated plainly and vaguely. She removed her hand from Jesse's and leaned back her in chair in deep thought. 

Jesse scrunched her eyebrows and shook her head. "What? Why?"

Ali stood and took her plate into the kitchen, wrapping it up before washing her hands and retreating to her room to retrieve an item. Jesse quickly followed after her, watching as she tore the room apart looking for the said item. 

"I can help Ali, just tell me what you're looking for." Jesse said a bit desperately. She had an inkling as to what Ali was looking for, she just hoped she was wrong. 

Ali placed her hands on her bedside table and shook her head. "You can't. It wouldn't be right if I asked you to." She made a small sound when she found what she was looking for and tucked it into her jeans pocket. She turned around to leave but Jesse held onto her. 

"Please stay Al. You don't have to do this, you have more time to think about it." Jesse all but pleaded, she saw the slight glint in the item that Ali slipped into her pocket and felt a wave of desperation sweep in. 

"I've had enough time to think about it. Jess-"

Jesse kissed her hard and Ali could feel her emotions clear as day in it but she couldn't lie; it wasn't what she wanted, it never was, sure it was something she was used to but it wasn't what made her heartbeat quicken when she felt those certain lips pressed against her own. It wasn't the spark that she'd already felt with someone else. Jesse just wasn't what she needed or wanted, it wasn't who she loved. And maybe now when she thinks back, it might've just been pure lust that she continuously felt while with Jesse, but nothing serious could ever have risen from it. 

Ali pushed her back and held her at arm's length. She could already see the tears building in her eyes but she stayed strong. She never wanted to hurt Jesse, and Pinoe correct when she said they should've stopped sleeping with each other early on. The entire situation just became a mess and nothing could be discerned from it. But Ali had to set the record straight and even though it was going to hurt the woman that she believed to be one of her best friends; Ali knew it would hurt worse to lie to herself and lead the red head on. 

"Jess, you will always be my best friend but I don't love you in the way you want. I strung you along selfishly because I needed comfort, I knew what I wanted after a short while and I didn't want to admit it. I shouldn't have done that you and you didn't deserve it, and for that I'm so sorry." She stated and brushed past her, forgoing the kiss to her cheek because she wanted to be sure that her words were clear and free of any misinterpretations. She grabbed her keys and left the apartment.

~~~

Ashlyn was staring up at her bedroom ceiling, wallowing in her own self pity. Going off on her family like that was definitely something that was heat of the moment, because she'd never done something like that before. But truth be told, she was a lot more hurt than they could imagine and they needed to know what was going on, and how she was tired of it. She kept thinking about how she needed to call a divorce lawyer as soon as possible and free Ali from her family, if Ali was happy with someone else than she was just gonna have to suck it up and get over it. 

She was about to turn off the bedroom lights when her doorbell rang followed by a few hard knocks. Ashlyn wasn't in any form in the mood for visitors, she was almost content at leaving them there but another knock struck the thought down. She dragged herself over to door and was surprised for the second time today by the exact same person. 

"I do love you. I love you so bad it hurt to not talk to you for days. But I needed time to think, I needed time to sort out what I went through, how I felt about it, and what you said to me. I'm sorry I ignored you but I just needed that silence." Ali blurted out breathlessly, she pulled out a white rose like the one Ashlyn gave her when they first met. "But I also know that what you did is forgivable, and what I did by ignoring was completely selfish. I shouldn't have done that, you deserve better than that and I was being stupid. I don't want a divorce, and if it's okay, could you forgive me for hurting you as well."

"Are you serious?" Ashlyn couldn't believe her ears, she couldn't tell if this was a cruel joke that she was misinterpreting or the truth. 

Ali nodded, "I wouldn't be here at 11 pm if I wasn't."

"I want to hold you and kiss you so bad Al, I'm not even kidding." Ashlyn mumbled but Ali heard her clearly. 

"Hold on." Ali put the rose in the pocket of her arm while she dug into her pocket, producing her wedding ring. "Can I wear this again, as your wife?"

Ashlyn nodded quickly and slipped it back onto the finger it belonged on before Ali lifted up on her toes and wrapped her arms around Ashlyn's neck and joined their lips. They stood there remembering each other's lips and indulging in the moment. 

"I love you Ali, everytime I said those words I always meant them. Never once did I lie to you about my feelings. I swear." Ashlyn mumbled on her lips. 

"I know. It took me a while to separate my anger from my thoughts, I was just so hurt, betrayed and angry that I didn't want to believe anything you told me. But I know how you feel about me, nothing about your company and the agreement you made with your family can changed that." Ali said into her neck before pulling back and kissing her again. She felt that spark and her heartbeat quicken at the feel of Ashlyn's lips on her own, and knew that this solidified the fact that this is where she should be. 

Ashlyn had yet to put Ali back down in her feet, thinking that if she did them everything would disappear like a cruel dream. "I missed you so much. Oh god, I'm so sorry Al, I swear I will never do anything like this again. I will never hurt you."

Ali ran her hands over the blonde's hair and kissed her tear filled eyes. "I know, and I'm sorry too Ash. I'll never ever ignore you like how I did, I should've never treated you that way. Now would it be okay with you if I came back home?" 

"Always." Ashlyn grinned, letting a few stray tears roll down her cheeks. She moved her face into Ali's touch as she gently wiped the tears away and sighed with happiness. "Baby you're always welcome home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did okay hmm ;) The angst is finally over! :p Next chapter will probably be completely smut ;)


	27. Learning You Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first ever smut only chapter :p

Ashlyn carried Ali into their home, never once putting her down or breaking their kiss. This was a moment she wanted to savor, a moment she wanted burned into her memory forever because it felt heavenly to have Ali back into her arms, but it was moment she never take for granted ever again. Ali was her wife, she was her world and most likely her heart. A day without her was like a world without air, it was unbearable. 

Ali's lips on her neck brought Ashlyn out of her head and back to the task at hand. Sure they probably needed to talk and really understand where they stood, but at the moment both women had different things on their mind. They'd been apart for long enough and both wanted to be reacquainted with their partner's body. 

Ashlyn bumped into the wall a few times in her attempts to make her way into their bedroom, but she wasn't one to give up, especially now. Once inside the bedroom, she gently placed Ali onto the plush king bed's comforter. Her eyes scanned Ali's body like a printer trying to store what it was seeing, and Ali could tell. She sat up and got into a kneeling position so she was at a better level with Ashlyn and laid her hands on her waist.

"Ash, baby this is for real. I know we've both said some hurtful things to each other and although we can't take them back, we can only move forward." Ali leaned closer to her and kissed her gently. "I love you and I was a fool to question if you felt that way for me as well."

"I just don't want to hurt you again Ali. I couldn't bear it if I did." Ashlyn whispered. 

At the blonde's words, Ali pulled Ashlyn down onto the bed with her and kissed her hard. She put enough feelings and passion into it that both women were left breathless. "You never will, I know you won't."

"I love you Al, so much." Ashlyn replied while her hand trailed into Ali's loose t shirt. She relished the warm skin under her fingertips, moving along the body the she knew more than her own. She let out a shuddering breath when she felt Ali's hands go along her shirt covered breasts. She looked into Ali's amber eyes and caught her lips in a hard kiss before settling herself between her legs, grinding her hips down onto Ali's, leting them both feel the pleasure of her act.

Ali let out a low moan at the feeling of her wife's body back on hers, something that she dearly missed. She wrapped her legs around Ashlyn's strong frame and held the sides of her face to continue kissing her deeply. When she felt Ashlyn's tounge trace her bottom lip, Ali eagerly parted her lips to welcome her. Their tounges moved around in such synchronization that the kiss felt more meaningful than either woman could've imagined. Ali's moan prompted Ashlyn to kiss her deeply, both trying to gain the more dominant role in the kiss. Ashlyn knew she won it when Ali held her tighter, not wanting anything to separate them.

Ali raised her hips to brush against Ashlyn center in an attempt to speed things up a bit, Ali wanted nothing more than for Ashlyn to cherish her body and she do the same with her, but her resolve was slipping and she just wanted to feel her wife inside in her, it'd been way too long. So she wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her down tightly on top of herself so there was no room for her to move, she moved her mouth to Ashlyn ear and licked a broad line from her ear lobe to the top. She moved her lips back down to her earlobe and sucked hard, letting out a breathy sigh when she felt Ashlyn's hot breath on her neck because of her actions.

"Baby I need you so bad." Ali said in a breathy voice.

Ashlyn gave a faint nod in understanding and ducked her head down to suck hard on her pulse point, making the brunette gasp and grip her harder. She ran her tounge across the darkening mark that she'd just created and kissed lightly on it. Once she heard Ali whimper "please", she carefully extracted both Ali's arms and legs from her body, smirking when she heard her let out a whine. She sat Ali up and kissed her softly before lifting her arms and removing her shirt, tossing it to the chair in the corner. She skillfully unhooked her bra and it found it's way to the same place her shirt lay. Ashlyn made sure her eyes took in Ali's creamy skin and already pert pink nipples, she unconsciously licked her lips which prompted Ali to pull them back into a lying position. Ashlyn was quick to kiss and drag her tounge all over Ali's chest, making sure that she knew she is loved, until Ali directed her head down to her nipples and Ashlyn gladly engulfed them in her mouth. She continued her ministrations until both nipples were slightly red from her mouth's attention. She used both hands to softly massage her breasts while moving her tounge along each nipple, loving the sounds that were leaving Ali's parted lips.

Although Ashlyn was still on top off Ali, Ali still managed to lift Ashlyn's shirt as well, happy when she was met with no bra and caressed her breasts gently. Ashlyn moaned softly at Ali's touch and palmed Ali's breasts as well, making sure to roll her nipples between her fingers. They both got caught into another heated kiss.

Ali was growing inpatient as time went on, she'd never get tired of Ashlyn, but the flood in between her legs were screaming for some attention from her wife. So she hooked her nimble fingers into the band of Ashlyn's shorts and slipped her hands into her shorts and cupped her folds, humming in pleasure at the amount of wetness she was met with. The moment she felt her wetness was the moment Ali wanted to take care of Ashlyn first even though her own panties were uncomfortably soaked.

"Oh god Al." Ashlyn said and leaned her forehead on Ali's while resting on her forearms so she didn't crush the woman beneath her. 

"Baby you're soaked as well." Ali purred while she ran a finger through Ashlyn's folds and circled her clit. She continued that motion, teasing her until Ashlyn grabbed her hand and gave her a look that meant 'No games'. She kissed her, running her tounge across her lips and pushed the blonde onto her side so she had more room to work with. She moved between her legs, kissing her way down from Ashlyn's chest to her stomach and down to her folds as she pulled Ashlyn free from her shorts. She parted her folds once more, except this time she leaned down and sucked on her clit while teasing her entrance with the tips of two fingers. She smiled to herself when she felt Ashlyn's fingers get a light grip of her hair, urging her to keep going. 

"More Alex, please." Ashlyn moaned and tilted her hips up, encouraging Ali to enter her which Ali did. "Fuck! Fuck me baby." Ashlyn practically slurred together, already intoxicated on Ali's touch. 

Ali gave in to what her wife wanted and in no time had her spilling into her mouth at the call of a few words and strokes of her fingers. She helped her ride out her waves of pleasure and immediately felt her own rise up, getting to take care of Ashlyn always had that effect on her and Ashlyn sensed it. She pulled Ali up her body so Ali was essentially straddling her while she sat up. 

Ali kissed her deeply making sure to use her tounge to allow Ashlyn to taste herself. She gasped when she unexpectedly felt two strong hands palm her ass, but quickly moaned out when Ashlyn's mouth found her nipples again.

"You like that baby." Ashlyn asked, knowing fully well that Ali did, especially when Ali was practically drenching her thighs with how wet she is. She removed one hand from her ass to run it through her folds and brought it up to her lips to taste and grinned. "You taste so good Alex."

Ali just gave her a lust heavy smile and Ashlyn thought it was time to give her what she wanted. So she tapped the brunette's ass so she'd lift her hips a bit while she poised two fingers at her fingers. She leaned back onto the bed, leaving Ali to hold onto either her chest or shoulders. "Ride me baby."

Ali was quick to sink down on her fingers, moaning loudly the entire way down until she'd taken the entire length of her fingers. She gripped Ashlyn's shoulders for stability while she raised her hips up and down, to continuously sink onto Ashlyn's fingers. She moaned with each movement and leaned her forehead down onto Ashlyn's chest as Ashlyn started thrusting up hard to meet her hips. 

"Harder, ah Ash fuck me harder." Ali said loudly as she worked up to her orgasm, she felt Ashlyn curl her fingers and send her into orgasmic bliss. Ashlyn continued pumping her fingers into Ali well aware of what she was doing, she kept at until Ali came again and bit down hard onto her shoulder, possibly sending Ashlyn into another orgasm while Ali released her bite, panting hard. 

"Baby I'm sorry." Ali blushed immediately as she saw the mark on her shoulder. "This is the second time this has happened-"

Ashlyn crashed her lips into Ali's and shook her head. "I actually love the fact that I get you that far gone, not to mention these bites are incredibly sexy as hell coming from you."

Ali hummed and ghosted her fingers over the mark she made. "I love you Ashlyn."

"I love you more than words can describe or define." Ashlyn replied, brushing back some of Ali's soft brown hair and kissing the tip of her nose. 

Ali snuggled into Ashlyn's warm body and sighed, "I don't know why I ever doubted your feelings for me. In the back of my head I knew you meant every word you said, but somewhere deep down I couldn't trust what you said. I was honestly in the hardest tug-of-war battle with my mind and feelings that I'd ever been in. But today it just all clicked for me, I knew what I wanted, I knew that you meant everything you said and I felt terrible for leaving you like that. I knew that I needed to make things right, because I never gave you the chance to do so."

"You don't have to worry about any of that. I was adamant on giving you the time that you needed to sorry everything out. I didn't want to force you into anything, and as much add it burned me on the inside to not have any communication with you, I knew it was the right choice. I'm just glad that we could figure this out, because Ali I love you way too much to get a divorce. Hell I even quit from being the president at the company." Ashlyn spoke while rubbing Ali's side.

"You quit?! Ash you didn't have to do that." Ali said with surprise written all over her face. 

"If being the president meant hurting the the love of my life then I didn't want it. You are worth it, you deserve nothing but the best and I'll make sure I give to you." Ashlyn explained. 

"You're amazing." Ali grinned and kissed her hard. "But you do know you don't exactly have to go through with quitting, right?" Ashlyn gave her a look that meant go on. "Okay hear me out, we are still married, this is for us and no one else. Tell anyone who tells you otherwise to shove it, and tell your grandma and your parents that they have no more power over you anyone. Make sure they know that you're going to run things by your own morals, and anyone who has a problem with that can leave."

Ashlyn ran her fingers down Ali's waist, "So pretty much you're telling me to tell them to either like it or 'fuck off''?" Ashlyn asked with a smirk. 

"Basically babe."

Ashlyn shrugged, "I like it. And you said that you have no interest in business."

"I run a business, Ash. I just don't have the patience to sit there and hear you drone on about insurance packages, even when it's coming from someone as sexy as you." Ali laughed and lightly tapped her nose. 

"I don't know, I think you have me beat on the sexy factor babe." Ashlyn cheesed before getting back between her wife's thighs and kissing her once again. "You ready for round two baby."

"Mmm I'm always ready for you." Ali purred on her lips and gladly wrapped her legs around her wife's naked waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the only chapter I post today, I'm at a family thing so I won't get the chance to post or write any chapters today, but I'll resume tomorrow :D


	28. Listen to Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, but apparently I have food poisoning from my family get together, and I'm battling a fever. So chapters might be coming a bit slower than my daily updates. :)

Ali woke up in between fluffy pillows scattered all over the bed, she stretched her arms way over head and smiled at the marks scattered over her body; reminders of what had went on last night. Ali was glad that they could talk it out, that they didn't fight, and could explain to each other how they felt and the truths within their words. Baring themselves to each other fully to understand what had went on, how to fix it, and how to never let it happen again. 

Ali was about to leave the bed until her phone rang from ontop the bedside drawer. She reached over and checked it, letting out a sad sigh. She swiped the 'end call' option and set her phone back on the bedside drawer.

The door opened with Ashlyn in shorts and a sports bra, while carrying a tray of breakfast and one large coffee mug. She set the tray down gently at the bottom of the bed before leaning in to give Ali a deep morning kiss. 

"Mmm morning baby." Ali smiled into her lips. 

Ashlyn pecked her lips and turned to the breakfast tray, "Morning I made breakfast for us, blueberry muffins, yogurt, fruit, some granola, and your favorite; coffee, of course you have to share it with me."

"Mmm I'll decide on that last part." Ali grinned and pecked her lips again before taking the large coffee mug and taking a large gulp right off the bat. Ashlyn handed her a delicious smelling muffin which Ali gladly took. 

Ashlyn took a spoonful of both granola and yogurt, "I think we should address my family today. I know I yelled at them yesterday and possibly made myself unemployed, but I think we both need to talk to them, set things straight."

Ali nodded, "We really should. I don't want them to think that everything they did was right, even if we're back together, they still need to know how bad they hurt the both of us."

Ashlyn took a sip from the mug and leaned in to kiss her wife, reaching over and holding her hand. "I love that you're here, really. I will never do anything that stupid again, nor will I ever take you for granted. You deserve the best Alex, and I'd be damned if I didn't give it to you."

Ali wiped some yogurt from the corner of Ashlyn's lips and sucked it off her finger. "I believe you Ash. And believe me once we talk to your parents you won't be unemployed for long."

"Especially with Chris in charge, he might run the place into the ground." Ashlyn chuckled. 

"Well see, anyways let's eat so we can meet up with them." Ali stated as she plucked a strawberry from the bowl to eat. 

They finished up breakfast and Ashlyn went to clean up their dishes while Ali started running a bath for them. Ashlyn was about to join her but decided on calling her family first to all be at her parent's home in an hour. She must've taken longer than Ali's liking because Ali popped her head through the bathroom door. 

"You coming babe? The water's hot." Ali informed. 

"Yea, I just had to make a call." Ashlyn quickly stripped off her clothing and entered the warm, sudsy bath water that Ali drew, she wrapped her arms around the brunette and held her to her chest. "This is sooo nice."

"I know how to make some damn good baths." Ali giggled and ran her hands along the tops of the water. She leaned her head into Ashlyn's shoulder, she was about to relax but her phone went off. She rolled her eyes, peeved at the interruption and stood to check it from the bathroom counter. She let out a sigh when she saw who it was and the amount of missed calls she had from that person. So she turned off her phone and leaned back into Ashlyn, already relishing in the warmth she felt compared to the slight chill she experienced while checking her phone. 

"Who was that?" Ashlyn asked as she ran the soft loofah over Ali's skin. 

"Hmm it was Jesse for the 100th time today." 

"Is she alright?" Ashlyn asked a bit uncomfortably which caused Ali to giggle. Ali knew they basically didn't like each other, it was pretty evident by how fast they fought in her store that day. 

"Wow, you're asking about her wellbeing? Who knew you two were so buddy buddy?" Ali joked. 

"Hey, we made up some days ago woman." Ashlyn laughed and kissed her neck. 

"Mmkay, but I doubt she's fine, I know she's probably hurting right now. I haven't spoken to her since yesterday."

"What happened? Did she she do something to you?" Ashlyn asked with wide eyes and her body was tensing up. 

Ali kissed her neck in an effort for her to calm down, when she felt Ashlyn's body relax she went on. "She asked me if I loved her, and then she kissed me and asked me not to go back to you. I told her that I didn't love her in the way she wanted and I left. Since then I haven't talked to her, and as a result, she's calling me nonstop. She probably wants to apologize, but I just want time with you right now."

"Maybe you should call her back and set her straight. Let her know firmly where you and her stand and that there's no room for otherwise." Ashlyn replied while continuing to move the loofah over her body. 

Ali nodded in agreement. "Will you come with me. I know Jesse, she's run by her emotions and I wouldn't want her trying to surprise kiss me again."

"Sure, but after we talk to my family." Ashlyn said and nudged Ali with her nose, Ali took the hint and turned to meet her lips for a kiss. 

~~~

Ashlyn and Ali walked into the den of Ashlyn's parent's home. They were taking a bit too long getting reacquainted with each other's bodies that Ashlyn didn't even notice when she had missed calls from her brother. They quickly went inside the den to the awaiting family members. Everyone's eyes went wide at the sight of Ali in the room, they all expected Ashlyn to come by herself because of what she said yesterday. 

Grandma Harris scoffed at them, "So you wanted to throw a tantrum at the company for what exactly?"

Ali rolled her eyes at the older woman and felt a bit bad that Ashlyn had to deal with her all her life. "She didn't throw a tantrum. She probably got tired of you all playing 'Let's build Ashlyn's life for her' to in order to fit what we She's a grown woman with a very great head on her shoulders. She doesn't need yall as her matchmaker." 

"We don't play matchmaker with her, nor do we build her life. We have always just wanted the best for her." Tammye corrected.

Ali shooked her and chuckled. "You sure?" She said sarcastically. "I would think that setting her up to get married in order to own the company, seems a lot like building her life to me."

"How did you know about that?" Tammye asked in surprise.

"I heard my wife and my grandmother in law arguing at the reception on my wedding day. I put two and two together and heard the truth from Ashlyn." Ali said with a smile meant to send discomfort to both parents and grandma. 

Mike turned to his mother and gave her a look, Grandma Harris waved him off. "I'll admit that I tried to build my granddaughter's life for her, but it was only in her best interests. Ashlyn had been on binges of partying, wasting money, and doing ridiculous things in general. She needed structure in her life, and although I may have forced it upon her, I did my best to help her and look at how well it turned out. She has you, and you have her."

Linda frowned, she was tired of them trying to justify what they'd caused. "You guys are the reason they almost got divorced."

"Linda no we weren't. Sure we came up with the idea but like Ali said, Ashlyn is a grown woman and she chose to go along with it. It takes two to tango." Grandma Harris replied. 

"Grandma stop." Ashlyn said. She was absolutely fed up with her grandma's attitude at the moment. The constant justification and denial was grating on her nerves. "Of course I went along with it, and I don't deny it. But tell me, how easy is it to say no to your father when you thought he almost died? How easy is it to say no when your family threatens to cut you off? How easy is it to tell the woman you love about the deal you made with your family?"

Ashlyn waited for anyone to answer her and when no one did she spoke up again. "Exactly. We all had a part in this mess and I've admitted and apologized for mine to my wife and we're great now. Chris and Linda talked it out as well. I just want you guys to admit that what yall did was wrong so we can move past it."

Mike sighed and stood. He walked over to his daughter and daughter in law and pulled them into a tight hug. "You both are right. I failed as a father to do the right thing. Everything both of you do in life should be done out of your own free will, not because of coercion and force. I'm sorry for what I did to the both of you."

Both Ashlyn and Ali wrapped an arm around him. 

"I forgive you dad, I really do." Ashlyn said and kissed his cheek. 

"Same here. I understood yall intentions how how completely wrong yall went about it, but I accept your apology." Ali smile into the older man's embrace. 

Mike pulled back to look at the both of them. "Well I'm glad that this didn't break you two apart."

"It almost did. I think we would've actually gotten divorced if my brother hadn't slapped some sense into me and get me to see what I already knew." Ali said softly. Ali couldn't imagine ever losing Ashlyn but in that period of silence, it really did seem like a possibility. 

Ashlyn slipped her hand into Ali's; intertwining their fingers and holding it safely. She leaned over, turning Ali's head with her fingertips and kissing her gently. "Hey, that's in the past. We're okay." She ended with another kiss and smiled when Ali leaned into her side. 

Tammye wipied her eyes from where she sat and quickly went over to kiss both of their foreheads. "I'm so sorry. I should've never advocated for that deal we forced Ashlyn into. I'm incredibly happy that you stayed together even after what we caused."

Both Ashlyn and Ali nodded and accepted her apology. They held in a hug and let go when Tammy went to wipe her eyes again. They turned to Grandma Harris who seemed dedicated on sticking to her guns of not admitting to fault. Chris and Mike cleared their throats loudly to get her to speak. When she didn't Ashlyn rolled her eyes.

"Everyone listen, especially you Gram, I take back what I said about quiting, I was angry and Ali helped me sort out my thought. I'm going to run this company on what I believe is dear to me. I will not have any of you breathing down my throat about what I should be doing. They only thing I will accept are suggestions. If you have a problem with how I'm running it then talk to me. But I will not, and I absolutely mean this, I will not be undermined or pushed around, especially when I'm the president of the company." Ashlyn explain in a no nonsense tone. She was going to make sure that everyone understood her.

Chris grabbed both of her shoulders and gave it a shake. "There's my sister. Just go easy on us okay."

Ashlyn smiled and nodded. "You guys are my family, and so is this company, so I hope you guys believe in me to this right."

"We always believe you Ash. You can have the tendency to act as stubborn as your grandma but you've never jeopardized anything." Tammye replied.

"You'll be a good president Ash, maybe somewhere down the line you'll pass it down to our future grandchildren?" Mike smiled.

"That depends on the Mrs." Ashlyn grinned down at her wife.

Ali chuckled and kissed Ashlyn's cheek, "We'll see."

"You guys heard the woman. Now if you'll excuse us we have to go." Ashlyn said as both her and Ali got ready to leave. 

"Ashlyn, Ali." Grandma Harris called out, stopping the women before they exited the den. "I'm... I apologize for what I did and for disregardingboth of yall feelings. I will admit that I was only looking out for the image and future of the company. I thought 'what you don't know can't hurt' and I was wrong. I take full responsibility for my wrong doing and I'm glad that you two are okay."

Ashlyn held out her arms with a goofy smile, she wiggled her fingers for an extra effect and her grandma rolled her eyes before going into her granddaughter's arms. She turned her head to Ali and spoke, "You better get in on this because I only give one hug."

Ali chuckled before joining in on it while the rest of the family stood there stunned that Grandma Harris actually admitted she was in the wrong and have them a hug. Grandma Harris was known for her tough love behavior and strong-minded ways. But the scene in front of them showed that she was changing. 

Grandma Harris gave them one last squeeze and gently pushed them back. "Okay, go on."

"See ya Gram." Both Ashlyn and Ali said as they left. 

~~~

Ashlyn parked her sports car at the café Ali and her friends generally frequented. They called both Pinoe and Jesse to explain what happened the night Ali and Ashlyn made up. 

"Well here goes nothing." Ali breathed out. 

"Hey if she doesn't understand or want to understand, then there's nothing else you can do." Ashlyn reassured. "But I know that she respects you, so everything will be fine. Besides, after this I have a surprise for you."

"Ooo, can I have any hints?" Ali smiled and leaned over the middle console to be closer to her wife. 

"Hmm maybe, but no promises."

"What if I do this." Ali said as she leaned in and kissed her slowly, softly, and passionately, letting a small moan escape her lips and effectively turning Ashlyn on. 

Ashlyn felt her resolve slipping fast, but knew she couldn't break, no matter if the windows were tinted very well. "Not even that babe." Ashlyn said with a wavering voice. 

Ali pouted but gave her another kiss anyways. "Fine. Let's go in before we make car sex a first." 

Ashlyn nodded and followed her out of the car and into the café where Pinoe and Jesse were already seated and waiting. Pinoe gave the both of them a tight hug and sat down.

"Okay, somebody needs to tell me whats going on because Jess here looks like someone killed her fucking dog. And even when you two just walked in she cringed a bit." Pinoe asked, completely dumbfounded at the situation in front of her.

Ashlyn took the initiative to speak, she wanted to make sure that Jesse understood whether she likes the situation or not. Jesse needed to respect her and her wife, that meant none of her touchy feely tendencies. 

"Alex and I were basically going through a hard time after some deceitful actions on my part. We decided to take some time apart to figure out what our next step was going to be. Alex left my beach house and went to her's and Jesse's shared apartment, we didn't talk to each for two weeks, and I guess Jesse thought that she and Alex we're going date or something. However Alex and I made up and Alex explained that to Jesse." Ashlyn explained, making sure to 'Alex' so that Jesse would hear and understand the severity of the topic.

Pinoe nodded wide eyed, "So what you're saying is Jess here," Pinoe grabbed Jesse's shoulder, "Fell victim to what I warned both her and Ali of when they started their friend's with benefits relationship. I knew one was bound to fall in love with the other, while the other fell in love with someone else."

Ali nodded in agreement, "Jesse, I know how you feel, I've known for a while, but I can't love you back. My heart already belongs to someone, and I'm happy with her."

"I know Al." Jesse said weakly. "I just hoped that maybe we chould be something. When yall broke up, I thought that maybe just maybe I could have a chance with you. Last night was just, I don't know, I knew what happened, I knew you were able to forgive Ashlyn and I was crushed."

Ali reached over and squeezed her hand. "I meant what I said last night. I will always be your best friend and you will always be mine. But I want you to know that I'm more than happy with Ashlyn, she's my wife and even though we might fight, I will always still love and want to be with my wife."

"I know, and as much as it hurts, I understand." Jesse responded, anyone that could hear her voice would know she felt defeated even though she might not have had a chance with Ali like she previously thought. "I respect you Al, and I mean that. I won't try to mess up yall relationship."

"I know you won't, Jess." Ali removed her hand and placed it in Ashlyn's lap. "I'm glad that we could get the chance to talk but Ash and I have to go. But we'll see you guys any time."

Pinoe smiled and waved goodbye, Jesse repeated the act. She may have not been too keen on the idea of Ashlyn and Ali being back together as a married couple, but she knew she had to be civil or she'd loose her friendship with Ali. The entire scenario was a tough pill to swallow but she needed to face reality and accept it no matter how much it hurt.

~~~

Ali climbed into the comfy bed and cuddled into Ashlyn who was running her hands through her wet blonde hair. "Soooo?"

"So what?" Ashlyn smiled knowing exactly what Ali was asking. But she figured playing dumb was a lot funner than saying what Ali wanted to know. 

"Babeee, come on." Ali whined and tugged on the front of her shirt. 

"I'm at a loss for words babe, I don't know what you want me to tell you." Ashlyn chuckled and buried her face into Ali's hair. 

Ali leaned up and narrowed her eyes at the blonde, poking a finger into her chest. "Listen here Missy, you told me that you had a surprise for me right before we went to talk to Jesse. Now all of a sudden you have retrograde amnesia? Talk now or you will be the most sexually frustrated human being on the planet."

Ashlyn's eyes went wide at the thought. "Jeez woman, you like to drive a very hard bargain. Anyways my surprise for you was taking you on a proper honeymoon since we didn't get to it. And don't worry, I haven't scheduled it yet because I didn't want to do what I did last time and not talk with you first."

"Aww aren't you cute." Ali cooed and kissed her wife slowly and sensually. "I can take some time off from work once the weekend rolls around, what about you?"

"I'm the president babe, I can take whatever vacation time I want whenever I want." Ashlyn cheesed. 

"Mmkay, so where are we going." Ali said as she pushed up her wife's shirt and slowly straddled the blonde's waist, smiling when she saw Ashlyn let out a soft moan when he wet core touched her bare stomach. 

"Hmm wherever you want to go. It's our honeymoon we both get a say." Ashlyn murmured with her eyes closed and her hands caressing the brunette's firm ass. 

"What about England? You always go there." Ali asked while playing kisses from her throat to collarbone. 

"No way, England is not a place I want to go again for the one hundredth time." Ashlyn breathed. 

Ali got off the blonde's waist and gave her a little tap when she heard her whine her complaint. She removed her own nightgown and removed Ashlyn's shorts. She tossed them to the ground and moved Ashlyn's leg up and to the side so she had a clear view of her core. Ali moved back to straddled her wife but made sure she had one leg over Ashlyn's thigh and the other under her thigh, but also made damn sure that their clits were placed firmly with each other. She rocked her hips and almost rolled her eyes backwards at how amazing the sensation felt. 

"Holy fuck Al." Ashlyn moaned while one hand held and massaged her ass, whereas her other hand tracked itself into Ali's and pulled her down for an intense and passionate kiss. Once she felt Ali's tounge slip her mouth she bucked her hips repeatedly, increasing the pleasure for them.

Ali let out a loud moan and gripped Ashlyn's shoulders hard, "What about Australia or the Cayman Islands." She breathed into Ashlyn's neck.

"Mmm uh I don't care, whichever you like." Ashlyn said off handedly, her focus was strictly on the mountain of pleasure building for the both of them.

"I don't know, I haven't been there." Ali replied, lifting her hips a bit to get a way better angle that both of them felt instantly. "Ash! Oh god, you feel so good baby."

Ashlyn sped her hips up as well, loving the sound of their hips and the wetness both of them provided while they moved together. They continued moving together until Ali let out a pleasure filled yell and Ashlyn letting out a few loud expletives while they slowed their movements down, helping each other down from their intense orgasms.

"Do you like beaches?" Ali asked she moved up Ashlyn's body to rest her head on her chest. 

"Hell yea. Have you forgotten what's outside my backyard deck?" Ashlyn replied while looking down at her. 

"Okay. Well maybe we should try one of those resorts at the Cayman Islands, I hear their really beautiful." Ali suggested. 

Ashlyn nodded, "That's fine, as long as I'm with you then I'm okay."

"There you go with the sweet talking again." Ali mumbled. 

Ashlyn pulled her further up her body so she rested Ali's head in the crook of her neck and wrapped her arms around her. Ali snuggled into her until she was comfortable and was drifting into sleep. 

"The Cayman Islands it is."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up as well, this story is coming to an end soon /.\ If I have some ideas for an epilogue or an extension of the story I will definitely do them :D You guys are great!


	29. Honeymoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally feel a lot better :D Thank you guys for the get well wishes :)
> 
> And Happy Gameday, and wow to having another NWSL team; Orlando Pride :D

Ashlyn pulled their luggage into their large and lavish hotel room that she had booked for their Cayman Islands Resort honeymoon. It had actually taken them an entire month to plan the place they wanted to stay at and get enough time of from work to actually enjoy their honeymoon. So here they were in the middle of July, standing in their expensive hotel room that had an immaculate view of the resort and the crystal blue ocean around them. 

Ashlyn collasped on the bed a bit winded from moving their bags. Ali came to lie down beside her and kissed her nodded gently. 

"I told you to let the bellhop take it but you vehemently said no. Now you have a sore back on the beginning of our honeymoon." Ali pointed out and climbed onto her stubborn wife's thighs.

Ashlyn let out a small groan. "It's not sore, it's just...."

"Babe."

"Hmmm?"

"Be quiet." Ali laughed, not even wanting to hear what excuse Ashlyn was going to come up with. She pushed up Ashlyn's shirt at the back, she moved her fingertips swiftly over her wife's lower back but applied firm bit wanted pressure to muscles. 

"Mmm that feels amazing." Ashlyn moaned into the pillow. Loving the way the brunette's fingers massaged the pain from her back. 

Ali hummed, "Good because you're gonna need your back to keep up with me."

"Ooo I really like the sound of that." Ashlyn turned her head to peek at Ali while grinning.

Ali leaned forward and kissed her deeply but slowly. She pulled back and continued working on Ashlyn's back until she heard slight snores leaving her mouth, she leaned back down and pecked her lips before moving off of her legs and grabbing the room phone to order them a light lunch before they went to hang out in the beach. 

Half an hour later and Ashlyn finally woke up, her hair was sticking up in all different directions and her eyes hung open in a droopy fashion. Once she saw Ali she give her a smile, Ashlyn sent back a sleepy one. Ali walked over to her from the table in the kitchen and tilted her chin up for a sweet kiss. 

"You up baby?"

Ashlyn nodded against her lupus without speaking, she didn't want to part from the soft lips. 

"Good, I ordered a light lunch for the both of us before we head to the beach."

Ashlyn perked up at the sound of going to the beach, she stood and wrapped her arms around Ali and kissed her neck. She led her back to the table and pulled out the chair for her, kissing her neck before sitting next to her. Ali passed her one of the sandwiches and a bowl of soup before turning to her own. 

"This stuff is freaking good." Ashlyn said around her large mouthful of food. 

"I hoped you'd like it, I was almost going off a prayer on what you might like in the menu." Ali chuckled and sipped some of her soup. 

"You did really good. If this was me ordering, we'd be spending our first night here in the ER." Ashlyn laughed and finished of her sandwich before stealing a piece of Ali's. 

"How? You wouldn't even have to cook anything." Ali asked in confusion.

"I always got a bout of food poisoning whenever I order room service no matter where I go, it's like bad traveler's luck." Ashlyn shrugged and picked up their empty plates and laid them back onto the room service trolley.

"Is that how you got sick that time you came back from England?" Ali asked.

"That time you took care of me?" Ashlyn nodded, "Oh no that wasn't food poisoning, that was some old guy on the train that continuously sneezed on me while I rode the damn thing."

"I should give him a piece of my mind." Ali smirked.

"A few months too late babe, but I appreciate the sentiment." Ashlyn replied and slipped into the bedroom to grab their swim suits. "Are we going to the beach or the resort pool?"

"The beach." Ali said as she leaned on the doorway and watched as Ashlyn picked a bikini for her. She shook her head when she heard her mumbling about which one accented her ass. "The navy blue one."

Ashlyn whipped her head around, "Jeez woman, you trying to give me a heartattack?" Ashlyn pulled out the navy blue bikini and laid it on the bed as she went to get her own swim shorts and bikini top. She began pulling off her clothes right in front of Ali and grinning internally as she saw the hunger develop in her wife's eyes.

"You know we're not supposed to swim for at least an hour after eatingx or else you'll drown." Ali said with a relatively dry mouth as she eyed the very toned torso in front of her. 

"Huh, I thought that was a myth?" Ashlyn answered and started to slowly pull her boxer shorts down. 

"It's true." Ali gulped.

"Then maybe we should burn some time here insyead before leaving." Ashlyn said as she left her boxer shorts to sit very low on the v-line of her waist. She stalked closer to Ali and kissed her softly, waitijg for her to snap out of her gaze and reciprocate before she took over the kiss with passion and dominance. She grasped her hips and led Ali backwards until she fell backwards and Ashlyn remained standing. "Scoot up the bed some more."

Ali was quick to move her body up the bed and eagerly spread her thighs as Ashlyn came to rest between them, starting the kiss up again. Ashlyn broke the kiss before leaving open mouthed kisses down her neck and chest, she pulled open Ali's button up shirt and bra before sucking on the pink nipples in front of her. Ali entangled her fingers in her hair, softly caressing it as Ashlyn switch to the other nipple with a wet pop.

Once Ashlyn left both nipples hard and slightly red, she kissed the valley in between her breast and run her tounge down to her navel and leaving another open mouth kiss.

"God, baby you're sexy." Ali all but purred as she watched her wife move further down her body. 

Ashlyn just gave a sly waggle of her eyebrows before running her tounge along the skin above her waistband. She slips her fingers inside and tugs gently, "Ass up baby." Ali complied, and Ashlyn pulled her free of the short shorts. She placed kisses atop her underwear covered core, making sure to put enough pressure to tease the brunette. When Ali tried to remove the fabric Ashlyn gave her a look that prompted Ali to put her hands back. 

"Baby please, You feel so good in me, I need to you now." Ali whined in sexual frustration that her wife was purposely building. 

Ashlyn just hummed over her underwear covered clit and smirked when she felt Ali buck her hips and moan. Ashlyn ran her fingers down the underwear, feeling the soaked fabric and gently applying teasing pleasure. 

"Fuck!" Ali yelled in a moan, wanting to feel Ashlyn's fingers inside her rather than on the outside. "Ashlyn, I want you fuck me, please." She was leaning up on her elbows, starting down at the blonde through lust heavy eyes. She watched as Ashlyn tore the fabric straight down the middle, parted her glistening folds and licked a broad line from her entrance to her clit, all while looking Ali straight in the eyes. Ali's eyes rolled shut at the blissful feeling, "Ash, I need more."

Ashlyn was more than happy to comply. She sucked on Ali's now engorged clit and slid one finger inside, moving it at a tantalizing pace. She felt the balls of Ali's feet dig into her lower and moaned onto her clit while still moving her finger. She removed it when she heard a very loud moan and pushed her tounge into her core whole rubbing hard circle on her clit with her thumb, causing Ali to yell. She continued her movement, she knew when Ali was getting close because of her tight she was becoming on her tounge. 

"Ash fuck me, oh baby you feel so good." Ali moaned ot like a mantrasheer brevet wanted to stop. She grabbed onto Ashlyn's head for dear life, as if she thought Ashlyn would disappear before she came. "Baby don't stop, don't stop." Ashlyn sped up her movements and soon had Ali gushing into her mouth while yelling her name in pure passion. Ashlyn licked up the last of Ali's juices before making her way back up to Ali from between her thighs and kissing her deeply. 

"Think you're ready for the beach now?" Ashlyn asked with a rather smug look on her face. 

Ali breathed in deeply and rolled her eyes at the blonde as she tried to regain her breath. "Of course we can go now, just give me a second to feel my legs and we're good."

"Mmkay Princess." Ashlyn smiled and kissed her once more before stripping off her clothing and changing. Ali did a quick rinse off in the shower before coming out in the navy blue bikini thay head Ashlyn drooling. Ali wagged her finger and grabbed short shorts and a tank top to wear over them. 

"No, you already had your fill Ash, I actually want to make it to the beach today." Ali clarified and pulled a beach towel from their bag. 

When Ashlyn finished dressing they joined hands and walked down to beach, there were already some couples there enjoying themselves so it was a bit hard to find some a good spot to lay their towel, but nevertheless they found one and soon stripped down to go have fun in the water. Ashlyn was bummed that there weren't any waves to surf, but after Ali dunked her in the water one too many times she figured out how she was going to have fun, that meant picking Ali up and tossing her into the crystal blue for several minutes until Ali's glare was too much to take. A lot of making out was done in water and a few too many playful gropes here and there. Once Ali was tired of staying in the water, she went and got a beach chair from the resort store and perched it under an umbrella to lightly tan. Ashlyn stayed in the water longer and exited once she saw that Ali was peacefully sleeping on the chair. She walked up next to her and let her wet hair drop cold droplets of water onto Ali's warm skin which caused her face to immediately scrunch up.

"Ashlyn Michelle Harris, I swear you're a child." Ali grumbled, and rolled her eyes when Ashlyn continued to drop water on her but this time her lips were puckered, so Ali leaned up and captured them in a kiss before laying back on the chair. Ashlyn plopped down next to her on the beach towel and rested her chin on Ali's thigh.

"So what do you want to do for your birthday?" Ashlyn asked while she lightly tapped her fingers on her thigh.

"Do we really need to do anything? I mean we're on our honeymoon right now, I think that's a good birthday present." Ali replied.

"No way babe. You're birthday is coming up in a few days and we're gonna do something I just have to think of what that something is." Ashlyn said. 

Ali looked down at her and ran her finger across her cheek. "Fine. But nothing over the top."

"Promise. But babe I can see it now, 'Ali's Birthday Bash' in bright lights. I'll rent half the island and invite the entire resort to celebrate my beautiful wifey's birthday." Ashlyn laughed and laughed even louder when Ali gave her a half mad and half pouting face, which in Ashlyn's opinion looked like a cute French Bulldog.

"Ashhh, I mean it, I don't want anything big." Ali reiterated. 

Ashlyn stood and scooted Ali forward on the becah chair before seating herself behind her and pulling Ali into her front, wrapping her arms around her middle. "I know, I'm just picking on ya. But can I at least spoil you all day, nothing too extravagant, just a really good time."

"I can't say no to that." Ali agreed and leaned back more into her wife's now warm body.

Ashlyn gave a little fist pump and kissed her temple. "Operation Ali's Birthday Bash is a go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the nexy chapter will focus on their honeymoon/Ali's birthday


	30. Ali's Birthday Bash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ali's Birthday :D

Ali wakes up to her wife's soft lips on her own. She feels her brush her messy morning hair away from her face before leaving fleeting kisses to her lips, nose, forehead, and eyelids which makes her giggle. 

"Happy birthday Alex." Ashlyn said softly, she was being careful in rousing her wife. She wanted her calm, since no would want to be startled awake by someone yelling 'happy birthday' to them.

"Mmm, thank you baby." Ali smiled sleepily and kissed her back as she leaned up. When she pulled away she noticed the tray of breakfast on her bedside dresser. 

"I thought since it's birthday, it'd mean a lot more if I might've bribed the hotel kitchen to let me use their kitchen to make breakfast for you. So because chef Ashlyn appeared today; you get chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and fruit." Ashlyn grinned and placed the cup of coffee on the tray before bringing it closer to Ali. "And of course I didn't forget your coffee."

Ali looked over the breakfast and pulled Ashlyn into another kiss, this time with an immense amount of passion. "Thank you, really I love this."

"You're welcome baby." Ashlyn pecked her lips again. "After you're done, put your swim suit on and I'll do the rest. I planned this day out to a tee."

"Ali's Birthday Bash?" Ali said with an amused expression.

"Darn skippy."

~~~

They sat in the back of taxi since Ashlyn didn't tent a car on the Island, mostly because she didn't know the area all that great to drive in. They basically wore the same outfit that they did to beach a few days ago, although Ashlyn carried a messenger bag filled with stuff she wouldn't reveal to Ali. They chatted the entire way there and Ali went wide eyed in fear when she saw what was ahead. 

"Another boat? Of things to surprise me with you pick a boat, and a small, unstable looking one at that." Ali said clearly displeased and had her hands on her hips. 

Ashlyn resisted the urge to laugh at how cute her wife looked, she opted to take her hand and lead them down the dock to the island man leaning on the medium sized motorized boat. 

"Babe, believe me, you won't be on it for long anyways. Plus, I bought some seasickness pills at shop nearby, so I think you'll be good." Ashlyn grinned while pulling out the pills and handing them to her frowning wife. 

The man cleared his throat to remind them that he's still there which both women acknowledged. Ashlyn ran her hands down Ali's arms before taking ahold of her hands. "Baby I wouldn't bring you here if I knew you wouldn't like it."

Ali nodded and took the pills and the water she pulled from Ashlyn's messenger bag. Ashlyn helped her step into the boat before she sat next to her. Ashlyn gave the man a nod before he pulled on the cord to start up the boat and self navigate his way through the water and to a way larger boat that contained only the driver; another man who didn't look like a native to the Cayman Islands. Once their smaller boat came up to the side of the larger boat, the islander help them up before leaving. Ashlyn shook the new driver's hands. 

"Well happy birthday Ali, my name is Dave and your wife called me to surprise you for your special day." Dave smiled, he practically was covered in freckles with sun kissed skin and sandy blonde hair that made Ali think that he had to be one of Ashlyn's surfer buddies.

"What surprise exactly?" Ali question and gave birth Ashlyn and Dave a look. 

"I'm a jet and water ski instructor, it's pretty easy all you need is balance and you're set." Dave smiled. 

Ali turned to Ashlyn, "You better hope these pills work damn well or you'll be sorry."

"Wouldn't have planned this if I didn't think it'd work." Ashlyn said before kissing her. "Okay, set us up Dave. I think we'll try the jet skis first."

Dave nodded before going around to the other side of the boat where he had all the equipment set up. Once everything was set, Ashlyn and Ali stripped down to their swim suits and took the life jackets provided by Dave. He help them go down the side of the boat and onto one of the jet skis before going around to get on his own. He showed them how to maneuver around worth handlebars, how to accelerate and decelerate. He gave them tips on how to approach higher waters and what to do if they somehow, he even gave them tips on how to get high air while riding the jet ski before setting them off on their own. 

Ashlyn and Ali were both riding on the same jet ski since Ali was still feeling a bit queasy. Assign was driving but had strict instructive not to go too fast or else she'd probably vomit on her back, Ashlyn agreed bit when she started up the jet ski to follow Dave around to get the hang of it, she jerked it forward on purpose, earning her a harsh slap on the arm. 

"Babe" Ali said worth a glare, "Do you remember whose birthday it is? It's all about spoiling me today, not spilling my breakfast in the sea."

Ashlyn giggled a bit before slowing down. "I know, I just want you to feel the rush. Besides, I won't judge you if you have to vomit."

Ali sighed and kissed her neck, "Fine, you can speed up. But don't go crazy, I've seen how you drive your sports car."

"Gotcha" Ashlyn added speed and they began playing a game of water tag where Dave started off as 'it' and had to chase them around until he could tag them. After playing a few rounds of it, Ali had to admit it felt pretty damn good to feel the breeze on your face and through your hair, while water splashed your sides. She was actually to let go of her vice grip on Ashlyn's torso and enjoy the ride a lot more. 

When they finished their game of water tag, Dave headed back to the boat and let the drive around and take in the scenery of rolling hills covered in green grass, the vast crystal blue ocean around them, and view of the natives on the mainland. After they got a good look at the scenery, Ashlyn started the jet ski back up and went in the opposite direction of the boat. She headed headed into an area of tall flowers and short grass. 

"Um Ash, the boat is that way." Ali pointed. 

"I know, but it's your birthday and I made us a picnic lunch. I thought it'd be more romantic with just us instead of us and Dave." Ashlyn explained and got off the jet ski, pulling the messenger bag from the jet ski's side holder and helped Ali down. "Come on."

Ali took her hand and followed. "You're sweet, you know. For someone that used to party a lot, you are one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I love you." Ali kissed her before leaning her head on Ashlyn's shoulder and walking. 

"You bring it out in me." Ashlyn smiled and led them to the spot she picked out before pulling a picnic blanket from the bag and laying it down and bringing out the food she made this morning. "I made sandwiches, fruit, cake, and wine. Don't worry I won't drink any since I'm driving."

"Thank you baby." Ali leaned over and pecked her lips. "I think this is one of the best birthdays I've had for a while now."

"I'm glad I did well, you deserve this." Ashlyn said and covered one of Ali's hands with her own. She used her other hand to pour her a glass of wine while she took a soda. They ate the sandwiches while feeding each other pieces of fruit. Ashlyn brought out the slice of the chocolate cake, knowing that it's Ali's favorite. "You know I have one more surprise for you."

Ali raised an eyebrow. "Really? Mmm did you bake this cake?"

"Oh no way, I bought that from the Resort kitchen, but it's good though right?" Ali nodded in response and took another fork full. "But that's not my surprise. I want you to wear whatever dress you want because I'm taking you out tonight at 7, so be ready."

"I get no clues?"

"If I gave you sooner then it wouldn't be a surprise." Ashlyn winked. 

~~~

Ali smoothed down the black dress she was wearing, it hugged her upper body all the way to her waist before softly flairing out and stopping three inches above her knees. She padded her way into the bathroom and did one last makeup check and lightly ruffled her hair that rested in curls spilling over her shoulders. She made her way back into the bedroom and slipped on her black heels. The moment she did, the door opened and Ashlyn came in wearing slacks that rose above her ankles, a dark red dress shirt and a dark gray vest, she also came in with a full bouquet of rose colored ranunculus.

"Baby you look gorgeous." Ashlyn complimented and kissed her cheek so she didn't mess up Ali's lipstick. However, Ali pulled her back and kissed her fully. 

"And your a stud." Ali smiled and wiped Ashlyn's lips before laying the bouquet down on the table. "So where are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you to a beautiful place with amazing people that I'm sure you'll love." Ashlyn said as she led Ali out of the Resort hotel and down to the awaiting car to drive them to the restaurant. Once they arrived, Ashlyn took her hand and led them inside the elegant restaurant. Ali's jaw dropped and eyes teared up. 

"Oh my gosh, Ash how?" Ali said with her hand over her mouth in disbelief as she saw both of their families sitting at the table with large smiles.

Ashlyn slipped her arm around her waist and kissed her temple. "I actually called them a while before we got here. Happy birthday Alex."

Ali turned in her arma and gave her a hard and deep kiss. She mumbled 'I love you' on her lips before pecking her lips once more. They went around hugging each other's families. Ali got to Kyle and held him tighter than anyone else there. 

"Thank you so much Ky, you're the reason why I figured things out with Ashlyn." Ali grinned. 

Kyle held his sister's face with both hands and kissed her forehead. "Sis, I want nothing but happiness for you and your wife. This was making sure that Clark Kent stays with Lois Lane, it has to happen. Now I am a bit peeved that you didn't call me when yall fixed things."

Ali laughed and tickled him a bit. "It slipped my mind Ky, I was honestly so happy. But you know I love you."

"That I do, anyways, happy birthday Sis." Kyle kissed her cheek before pushing her back to Ashlyn. 

They all took their seats and ordered dinner before starting up conversations. They ranged from hilarious stories of Chris having a picturesque mishap at work by getting to work on an off day and then seeing that he was the only one there prompted him to send out an email telling everyone to come into work. Only to end in Mike and Tammye having to come in and correct the mistake and let everyone go home. 

Then Kyle told a wild story about Linda coming down to his hair salon with one of her guy friends, whom Kyle surprisingly hit it off with. But since he practically had heart eyes for the guy, he ended up cutting a big patch of hair out of the back of the man's hair. Leaving him wide eyed and ashamed, but then the fit laughed about it and joked how he always wanted a buzz cut, which of course Kyle had no choice but to do. After the haircut, a lot of flirting, and a push from Linda, Kyle finally had enough confidence to exchange numbers with the mean that he now caked his boo.

"That is so cute. My brother has a boo." Ali cooed and swung his hands. 

"You're lucky you're on your honeymoon, because he's been calling us nonstop about that guy." Deb whisered loudly with the intention to be heard. 

Grandma Harris snorted in an attempt to hide her laughter. "I tell ya, when these kids are in love, everyone will have to hear it."

"I can't help it, my man is hot." Kyle said with a matter of fact tone. 

"Not better than my wife." Chris said with a kiss to Linda's cheek. 

"I don't know, I think my wife has everyone beat." Ashlyn cheesed and received a kiss from Ali. 

"Okay, okay let's calm down. We all know that since it's my birthday, I'm the most beautiful in the room for tonight, no space for rebuttal." Ali pointed out. 

Everyone playfully rolled their eyes at the birthday girl but smiled once they saw some of the waiters and restaurant manager come over with a medium sized cake with playful sparklers on it. Ali's eyes lit up at the sight, and as child like as it may have seemed Ali closed her eyes and made a wish before blowing out the sparklers. Everyone clapped and cheered before helping Ali serve out the slices of cake. They finished up the rest of their dinner before saying goodbye and heading their own ways. Ashlyn and Ali made their way back to their hotel room and got ready for bed.

"You enjoy your birthday babe?" Ashlyn said as she pulled Ali into her chest. 

Ali gave her a 'are you serious' look. "Of course I enjoyed it, I will a admit that I'm completely exhausted right now but it was totally worth it. Because of you my birthday was absolutely amazing, thank you." Ali leaned up, rested a hand on her chest and kissed her deeply.

"I'm glad you did, but now our honeymoon is almost over and we have to go back to the real world." Ashlyn chuckled. 

"Ugh don't remind me." Ali groaned and buried her head into her wife's chest. "So tell me, how does my former party girl wife turn all sweet?"

"I told you already, you being it out in me. I've dated plenty of women that I had feelings for but none could ever make me have such strong feelings like you did. Every time I'm with you I feel invincible, like I'm on cloud nine with you. Even when I thought we were going through with the divorce, my heart was crushed because I was losing such a wonderful person that I could be myself around. You're not afraid to speak your mind and well woman there's ahell of a lot more qualities that I love about you but if I say them all we'll be 60 years old by the time in done." Ashlyn said easily. 

Ali giggled lightly and kissed the hallow of her neck, "I love you Ashlyn. What I feel for you is much more than 'I love you' but they haven't made a word for it yet."

"Now you know what I've been gonna through. I'm pretty sure I've told you that I love you more than words or actions could ever describe, and I mean that. You're royalty in my eyes and I will always take care of you, Alex." Ashlyn replied, she tilted up Ali's face to kiss her again. Kissing Ali was most likely Ashlyn's favorite thing to do, it was such a simple act of affection but Ashlyn felt much more intimacy behind it. 

"Mmm I definitely understand your dilemma." Ali snuggled in closer to her wife and smiled when she felt the strong arms encircle her body and hold her tightly. "Goodnight baby."

"Night Al."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another heads up. I know I said the story is coming to an end but I haven't exactly thought of an ending yet :D So what that means is any idea I get I'll keep this fic going until I can think of a proper ending.


	31. Baby Blues pt.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter update!

Ali placed more flower pots in the display window, smiling every now and then when people walking past the display window would admire her flowers or wave. She was about place some more in the window until she heard one of her workers arguing on the phone in the corner of the shop. She went ahead and finished up the new 'end of the summer' flower display before heading over to what seemed like on if her distraught employees. 

"Hey Melissa, what's going on?" Ali asked and put a hand on the female's back for comfort. Melissa was one of her favorite employees, she was a single mother that made sure to work hard to provide for her baby girl, so Ali knew if she liked this worried than it had something to do with her baby girl. 

"Yea, it's just that I got a traffic ticket and now I need to find a babysitter for the entire day, but no one can take Leah on such short notice. I don't know what to do." Melissa said with a defeated tone. 

"No one at all?"

Melissa sighed, "No one. She's playing with Brandon right now since he's on break but he can't watch her all day."

Ali nodded while trying to help the single mother out. "Um I could take her for the day. I mean it's not like I have anything else to do."

Melissa went wide eyed at her boss's suggestion. "I uh, I w-wouldn't want to impose."

"Melissa, I may be your boss but I'm also your friend. You can leave Leah with me and come by whenever you're done." Ali smiled. 

Melissa pulled her into a hug, "Thank you so much Ali, I owe you a big one."

Ali hugged back and patted her back, "Don't worry about it. Let's go get Leah so you can get to your business."

Melissa nodded and went over to Brandon; another employee that worked there, she took her and the diaper bag before going back over to Ali. "Okay baby, Ali's gonna take you for the entire but I'll be back to see you very soon." She cooed to her giggling six month old. She handed Leah over to a grinning Ali and kissed her daughter's forehead. 

"Everything she needs is inside that bag, she's not allergic to anything so she'll eat just about anything that's soft. I have formula and her snacks inside, and diapers, wipes, change of clothes, and some toys." Melissa rattled off with ease. Ali nodded in understanding. "Ali, thank you, really."

"It's okay Mel, I don't mind. Besides, who wouldn't want to slender all day with this cutie pie?" Ali said and tickled Leah's belly which made the baby erupt in laughter.

"Okay, but seriously I owe you one big time. Bye baby." Melissa said with one last kiss to her daughter's forehead and left.

Ali shouldered the diaper and took Leah into her office. "Okay Leah, I think you're getting a bit hungry now." Ali noted, seeing as how the baby kept sticking her tiny fists in her mouth. She held Leah on her hip as she rummaged through the fully stocked diaper bag for some of those blueberry yogurt melts and began feeding Leah. She pulled out her sippy cup and handed it to the 6 month old, watching as she clumsily tried to pick it up. Even though Leah couldn't pick up her sippy cup, she was all smiles; showing her two little baby teeth on her bottom row. Ali helped her hold it up to her lips to drink and gave her some yogurt melt snacks.

After feeding baby Leah, Ali continued her work while holding Leah on her hip, which for some reason brought more customers into shop. Ali guessed it had to do with Leah looking absolutely adorable and babbling in some incredibly cute way that garnered attention.

Since Ali was only working for half of the day, she packed up both hers and Leah's belongings and took the car seat that Melissa left for her. She said goodbye to her employees and set Leah up in her car before driving home. Once she somehow managed to carry Leah, the diaper bag, her purse, and unlock the front door, she walked around and made to child proof what she could before putting Leah down on the living room carpet. She opened up the fridge and sighed when she saw the empty fridge. 

"Okay Leah let's find you some food, since my wife didn't go grocery shopping." Ali said she she texted Ashlyn to stop by the grocery on her way from work. Leah just gave her her two toothed smile while banging blocks on the table. 

Ali warmed up one of Leah's pre-made baby food trays and sat Leah in her lap to begin feeding her. Leah ate about half of it before they both heard the front door open and Ashlyn in the doorway. Leah perked up and started clapping her hands with a mouthful of mashed potatoes. 

"Hey babe, I'm home." Ashlyn called out as she made her way into the dining room. When she walked into the dining room her jaw practically dropped to the floor. She laid her briefcase on the kitchen counter and squinted to make sure what she was seeing is for real. "How did you get a baby?"

Ali kissed Leah's cheek and gave her another spoonful of mashed potatoes. "Nice to see you too. Anyways, one of my employees had a court date that she couldn't miss and she couldn't find a babysitter, so I helped her out." Ali wiped Leah's mouth and held onto her tiny hand, waving it at Ashlyn. "Say hi to Ashy, Leah."

Leah just let out one of those shrieking baby laughs that all but melted Ali's heart.

Ashlyn just nodded and gave her wife a kiss before sitting down next to her. "You know I don't expect dinner or anything but I was kinda hoping you made some already."

"Well you kinda forgot to read my text message to go shopping because our fridge is completely empty." Ali pointed. 

"Ohh, that's what I forgot." Ashlyn mumbled and grebbed her keys from the key bowl. "I'm gonna go over there and get some food."

Ali quickly stood and cleaned off Leah, she headed over to the diaper bag and changed Leah's clothes since she knew the supermarket would be chilly inside. She grabbed the grocery list she wrote and handed it to Ashlyn. "Hold on, we're coming with you."

Ashlyn gave her a look but nodded anyways. She walked over to her sports car and jumped back when she felt Ali pinch her arm. "Ow! What did I do?"

"We are not putting this baby inside of that death trap. We're taking my car, you can drive." Ali explained and handed her the keys. 

"Our you and the baby can stay home." Ashlyn mumbled while rubbing her arms and watching as Ali buckled Leah into the car seat. They drove down to the supermarket. Once there, Ashlyn grabbed a cart while Ali walked side by side with Ashlyn while carrying a drowsy Leah.

"I told you it'd be better to stay home, she's already falling asleep." Ashlyn spoke while pushing the cart and looking at Ali's grocery list. 

Ali placed a soft kiss to Leah's head and continued walking. "It's fine, I adore holding her anyways."

They continued their shopping, they were approached a few times by some couples or older women who would comment on how they had such a cute baby. Ali of course would thank them but before she would get the chance to politely correct them, Ashlyn would blurt out that they were just babysitting. The couples would apologize before walking off. When they finished all their shopping, they headed back home and Ali placed Leah on their bed with the pillows surrounding her small body. After she finished, Ali went into the kitchen and leaned on the counter, watching her wife start dinner.

"Babe are you alright?" Ali asked. 

Ashlyn dumped the vegetables in the pan and nodded, "I'm fine Al, just hungry."

"Do you want kids? Because I know I want to have kids but now I really have this urge to get pregnant." Ali said. 

Ashlyn looked up so fast Ali almost didn't see it. "Where is this coming from? Because I thought we were going to wait until, I don't know, wait until we were more solid together, you know."

Ali hopped up on the counter and leaned on her elbows. "I think we're solid enough to be honest. I don't know maybe it was spending all that time with Leah. Seeing her and taking care of her really makes me want one."

"We both work so much Al, I don't know how a pregnancy is going to fit into our schedules right now." Ashlyn pointed out.

"We can make time. I can take time off since I own the place and you're the president of your company so you can dictate whenever you could get time off. Plus this house is huge, we could definitely fit a baby here." 

"Do I get an opinion, or is yours the only opinion that matters?" Ashlyn asked. 

"Of course I want your opinion. I just thought that you'd already be on board with the idea. Don't you want little babies running around this place?"

"I just...I don't know Al. I just think right now isn't the time for baby." Ashlyn replied and plated the chicken and vegetables. She laid Ali's plate on the table and placed her own right next to it. 

"So when is a good time for it? Since now isn't." Ali said with a certain amount of bite to her tone. 

Ashlyn quickly sensed Ali's anger and sighed. "I don't know Alex, we never really talked about it. We made one joke around my parents and that was it. We need to plan these things out, we just can't fly with whatever idea you come up with without thinking if how it's going to affect us."

"So you don't know. Because I know that I want a baby with you and I'm more than ready to start the process now, and the only thing you can tell me is you don't know when we should have kids."

"I don't want to argue about this. I'm tired, you're probably tired, let's finish eating, go to sleep and talk about it in the morning." Ashlyn suggested while rubbing her face. 

Ali was about to respond but her phone rang and Melissa's name popped up on the screen. She hopped down from the counter and gently picked Leah up with her belongings and went outside to where Melissa was. 

"I hope she didn't cause any trouble." Melissa asked. 

"No, she's an angel." Ali answered before handing Leah to her and setting the car seat back into Melissa's car. They said their goodbyes before Ali went back into the house. She took the plate and put the contents into a container and placed it into the fridge.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ashlyn asked as she watched her wife. 

"I'm not hungry right now." Ali responded and left the kitchen. She headed back to into the bedroom, she stripped off her clothing and headed into the shower. She was halfway through when she felt familiar hands grip her waist, kisses laid downher neck, and their warm body against her own. "Ash, not right now."

"I just want to be close to you. I don't want you to be mad." Ashlyn mumbled on her skin as hot water washed over their skin. "I feel like you're mad at me."

Ali turned around in her arms and laid her head on Ashlyn wet chest. "I'm not mad at you. I just want a baby. I want to make a family with you."

"I know babe." Ashlyn kissed her wet hair. She grabbed the loofah from her wife's hands and began running it along her wife's body. She tilted Ali's chin up and kissed her softly but deeply. She heard Ali let out a small moan and kissed her with more urgency. She felt Ali run the soapy loofah over her body as they continued their kiss. They continued to kiss and soap each other up as the water from the shower head rinsed over them. 

Ashlyn carefully lifted Ali up while simultaneously turning off the water and taking them into the bedroom. Ashlyn took her usual place between Ali's thighs and kissed her hard once she felt her wife's fingers thread into her wet hair and pull her in closer. She pused her tounge into Ali's mouth and took over the kiss, making sure that every movement she made was fully passionate but slow. She palmed Ali's breasts while moving her lips down to her neck; leaving wet open mouthed kisses there. 

Ali pushed Ashlyn's hands from her breasts and down to her already wet folds and moved her own hand down to Ashlyn's, slipping two in and pushing them in deep. She grinned when she felt Ashlyn moan on her lips, but was quickly reduced to the same thing when Ashlyn entered her. Ali breathing hard between their wet bodies turned Ashlyn on even more, she caught Ali in another bruising kiss. They moved with learned unity; Ashlyn knowing exactly where and how to move her fingers, Ali knowing what places on Ashlyn's body would push her over the edge. They continued their movements and stroked each other to their orgasms. Ashlyn kissed her deeply once more before rolling onto her side. 

"I love you." Ashlyn said. 

Ali leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "I know, and I love you too, but we should've dried off before getting into the bed." She giggled and pressed her fingers into the wet bed sheets for emphasis. 

Ashlyn chuckled and sat up, "We seriously didn't think that through. But there are guest rooms we could go in."

"Agreed, but you're doing laundry since it's your day off tomorrow."

Ashlyn carried Ali bridal style to guest room, "Aye aye captain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't lie, I was bummed that Ash didn't even get a half in Orlando. If she could lead the Spirit's backline on multiple occasions, then I believe she could lead Sonnett. But nonetheless, the protected lists cone out today ;)


	32. Baby Blues pt.2

Ashlyn groaned as she received another text from Ali. Ali had been texting her baby pictures all day and Ashlyn was getting quite fed up with seeing them but Ashlyn really thought they should talk before this whole baby picture texting happened. She thought that her and Ali could talk in the morning about the whole pregnancy route but Ali had to go in at work early, so they tabled the talk until Ali could drop by for lunch. Ashlyn was currently with her brother getting breakfast. 

"Girl what's up, you've been groaning all morning." Chris asked as he cut up his pancakes. 

Ashlyn handed over her phone to show him the baby pictures and texts. "This is what's wrong."

"Ohh that's cute, Ali has baby fever doesn't she?" Chris said. 

"Yup. She babysat one time and boom, now she wants babies." Ashlyn said as she shook her head and took her phone. 

"Well it's not a bad thing." Chris started but received a look from his sister. "I mean it. Ali loves you and obviously wants to take it to another level with you, and she sees it as having children with you. It's perfectly normal."

"I just don't think we're ready for children yet." Ashlyn stated and chewed on her bacon strips. 

"I can neither agree or disagree." Chris nodded, "Well I hope this is something yall discussed and not just your stance on it. Because believe me, talking about when to have kids is one of the hardest conversations to have. Thankfully, like you already know, Linda and I don't have a set date, if it happens it happens."

"Well it's a little different for you guys, I can't accidently knock up Ali." Ashlyn laughed. 

"Imagine if you could." Chris shuddered and shook his sister by the shoulders. "Yall would have yall own tv show with your fifteen children."

Ashlyn punched his arm and laughed. "Don't joke about that."

"Okay, but seriously, yall need to sit down and talk about it. Be realistic and honest, that's all, don't lie because it's going to hurt you down the road." Chris said seriously. 

"I hear you loud and clear, the last thing I want to do is to fight with Ali. Besides I think I have an idea and on something." 

Chris shrugged, "Well try it at your own expense."

~~~ 

Ashlyn closed their bedroom, making sure that nothing in there made any noise. This could be one of her smartest or her dumbest ideas to date, but Ashlyn thought it was worth a shot. She had seen this done with a few of her childhood friends when she was younger, and she thought it'd bear the same result even at this age. However Ashlyn was quickly broken from her thoughts when she heard the key turn in the front door, signifying that Ali was home on her lunch break. She quickly went over and greeted her with a deep kiss before giving her lips a slow peck.

"Mmm I should come home more often for my lunch break if it'll get me that." Ali said into her lips, eagerly trying to pull her into another kiss. 

"What about your lunch break, you need to eat babe." Ashlyn mumbled. 

"I want you right now." Ali breathed and pulled on her shirt. She leaned up and lightly bit Ashlyn's lip before leading her into the bedroom. Ashlyn wanted to stop her but Ali's lips were always something that could render her speechless. Once Ali pushed the door open and was about to walk further inside she felt a medium sized, furry object barrel into her legs. Ali quickly squealed and broke the kiss, her eyes went wide when she took in the golden retriever puppy with a blue bow stuck to its head. She turned to Ashlyn with pure confusion and pointed to the dog. 

"Ash, why is there a dog in our bedroom?" 

"Surprise!" Ashlyn said as she gave a large smile which only garnered a raised eyebrow from her wife. "Well I remembered last night, our talk about babies, and I thought that a puppy would be so much better for us at this point."

Ali frowned and brushed past her, she went into the kitchen and grabbed what quick food item she could take with her back to work. She noticed that the puppy followed her wherever she went and stayed by her side. The puppy let out a little, adorable bark when Ashlyn came into the kitchen. 

"Al, I don't get why you're mad, and don't say you aren't because I can tell you are." Ashlyn asked and reached down to pet the puppy behind the ears and remove the blue bow. 

Ali slammed the yogurt container on the kitchen island counter. "I'm not mad. I'm pissed and I'm fucking disappointed." Her voice cracked a bit at the end and Ashlyn could see her eyes begin to glisten. 

"Tell me what's wrong, Al." Ashlyn said as she closed the distance between them and pulled Ali into a hug which Ali pushed out of quickly. 

"I have to tell you what's wrong? Wow. You would rather get us a freaking dog than have a baby with me. Do you know how bad that hurts? You all but refused to be on board with the ideas of having a baby around this time, but you so hypocritically and readily got a puppy, that comes with almost the same amount of responsibilities!" Ali yelled, she frustrated and hurt by Ashlyn's actions and she couldn't believe that she had to explain what the problem was. 

Ali turned back to the fridge and looked for anything else she could take with her. 

"Baby, I didn't mean it like that-"

"Then how else did you mean? Because what I get from you is 'were not ready to have a baby, but here's a puppy'. Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Ali clarified. "Because it seems that if you don't want to have kids, then it's the end of the discussion, isn't it."

"Alex you're opinion matters, it will always matter to me." Ashlyn informed. 

"Sure, but you'll still do things to fit your own agenda." Ali bit back. "Do you even want kids? Be honest with me."

"Of course I want to have kids with you. I'm just scared." Ashlyn corrected and received a look from Ali that conveyed she didn't understand. "Alex, I let you down really bad before. Even now I keep fucking up. I'm so bone headed that I got you a freaking puppy instead of talking things out. I thought I couldn't fuck up a puppy, you know. But I'm so scared, Alex. I've messed up with you once, I don't want to chance doing that to the kids might have. Even though you forgave me, what if they don't?" Ashlyn replied with a glum look on her face and a defeated sounding tone, she took a seat at one of the barstool seats in the kitchen. Her eyes were looking straight down at the ground, her entire body exuded shame. 

Ali immediately deflated when she heard Ashlyn. She wasn't expecting this, she was hoping for a ridiculous reason so she could give her a clear answer but hearing how scared Ashlyn is damn near broke her heart. 

Ali went over to her and held her tightly. She kissed the top of her head and gently coaxed her to look up at her. "Baby, you will be a wonderful mother, because you're a wonderful wife. You care so much about others and you're always putting them first. I know our children will be more than loved by you, I couldn't hope for a better partner to share that experience with."

"You're just saying that. Admit it Alex, I'm probably gonna screw things up." Ashlyn mumbled. 

"I won't lie, it's our first child so we're both bound to mess up on more than one occasion and learn from it because that's what parenting is, but we'll always support each other and make sure that everyone knows they're loved." Ali explained and kissed her gently. "You will be a great mother, I know that much."

"You mean that?" 

Ali kissed her again slowly. "Of course I mean that. You are wonderful and don't you forget it."

Ashlyn grinned and wrapped her arms around her wife's torso, "I'm so lucky to have you, like I can't even fathom that we're together because you're perfect Al."

"And so are you."

"So when can I knock you up?" Ashlyn said with a sly smile that got her a light slap on the arm. 

"You're ridiculous," Ali released Ashlyn's arms from around her body and leaned down to pick up their puppy. "So what's their name?"

"Mmm, I like Dax, since we have a little guy puppy here." Ashlyn said in a baby voice while kissing Dax's cheeks. 

"You like Dax baby?" Ali said as she scratched behind Dax's ears which earned her plenty of licks from the medium sized puppy. "I like it and I think he does too, but you know this means that I get to name our first human kid."

Ashlyn's eyes went wide, "Wait what?"

"You name our canine baby and I name our human baby. Isn't that right, Dax?" Ali smiled towards the energetic puppy who barked in response. "Don't worry babe, you can have your input every now and then."

Ashlyn playfully rolled her eyes and pulled Ali into her lap. "So when should I start thinking of said baby names?"

"Soon." Ali smiled shyly and turned sideways to face her wife. "I want to have babies with you soon, really soon actually." 

Ashlyn kissed the tip of her nose and looked down to Dax, "What do you think Dax? You ready for a little sister or brother? Because I'm ready." Dax gave a few adorable barks and licked Ali's face. "Babe it's settled, we're ready for mini yous."

"Mmm, I'm ready to make a family with you." Ali said while leaning forward to put their foreheads together. 

"So am I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well off to class I go, enjoy :p


	33. Getting Ready

Ali opened her just a bit to Dax laying on her chest and licking all over her chest. She groaned and stretched to see the time; 5:42 am, she turned back to Dax with narrowed eyes. 

"What's wrong Dax?" Ali mumbled, sleep was especially heavy in her voice making what she said almost indistinct. 

Dax just laid his head down onto her chest and whined loudly. Ali turned on the bedside lamp to see if there was anything physically wrong with him, but was confused when she saw nothing. She gave her wife a nudge which resulted in Ashlyn turning over to snuggle into her but was thwarted by Dax's tail slapping her in the face and more whining.

"Babe something is wrong with Dax." Ali said as she picked up Dax and got out of the bed and felt her foot enter something cold and wet. "Ashlyn get up."

Ashlyn mumbled something and buried her head back into the pillow. "Five more minutes baby."

Ali looked down at the puddle dog pee her foot was now submerged in. She leaned over and slapped Ashlyn with the bed's extra pillow.

Ashlyn shot up and yelled loudly. "I'm up, I'm up I swear."

"Dax peed on the floor and I'm guessing he needs to pee again." Ali explained and hopped on one foot out the sliding door to their backyard patio so she could let Dax pee outside. Dax quickly scampered off to a rock that was just a bit smaller than him and went on with his business. Ali walked over to the hose on the side of the house and sprayed her feet off. She dried her feet on the outside mat and whistled for Dax to follow. She pulled open the sliding door and frowned when she saw the puddle of dog pee still there and Ashlyn hanging off the bed still asleep. 

"Ashlyn!" Ashlyn shot up awake again and tumbled out of bed. "Wait don't-!" Ali tried to earn her sleepy wife of the puddle but Ashlyn landed with both feet in it with an audible splish. "Step in the dog pee."

"Eww babe why didn't you warn me?" Ashlyn whined and carefully padded to the kitchen to get a rag and clean her feet. She came back in and gave Dax; who was sitting comfortably in Ali's lap looking innocent, a dirty look. "You better learn to pee outside Dax, I don't like waking up this early to clean you pee."

Dax barked once he heard his name and moved around in Ali's lap until he got comfortable again. Ali rubbed through his fur and laid into the bed. "Babe hurry up so you can snuggle with up."

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes and cleaned everything up and before getting in the bed behind Ali and kissed her neck while trailing her hand down her waist. 

"Mmm baby, not while Dax is here." Ali said with an unconvincing tone while turning her head to connect their lips. 

Ashlyn laid her leg over Ali so she was half on top of her and continued their make out session. She felt Ali smile into her lips while Ali's hands ran up her shirt and palmed her breasts. Ashlyn lifted herself so she rested on top of her wife but when she connected their lips again, Ashlyn felt Dax's tounge licking all over both of their faces. They both broke away, Ashlyn with a disgusted face and Ali red in the face from laughing. 

"Dax, bud why?" Ashlyn said while wiping the dog slobber from her face and mouth. 

Dax just barked playfully at her and went over to lick a laughing Ali. Ali gathered him in her arms and kissed Ashlyn, "Let's just sleep before Dax tounges me again."

"You trying to steal my woman, bud?" Ashlyn said while rubbing Dax's belly and flopped down next to her wife. She laid her head on Ali's stomach while using both her hands to rub it as well. 

Ali leaned up on her forearms and stared down at her wife, "Whatcha doing down there?"

Ashlyn kissed her stomach and grinned at Ali. "I'm getting ready for when our baby starts growing in here."

Ali reached down and caressed her cheek. "Babe don't make me cry tonight, I have work in the morning."

Ashlyn kissed her hand and turned to Dax, "Hear that bud, we shouldn't make mommy cry tonight." Dax gave a sleepy yawn before laying his head on Ashlyn's pillow and going to sleep. Ashlyn moved up the bed and kissed her, "Goodnight babe."

~~~

It was a week after Ali and Ashlyn had agreed on the fact that they wanted to have babies at this point. They both decided that after Ashlyn finished up work for the day they would go to Ali's doctor and make sure everything was okay before they attempted to get pregnant. Ali was currently waiting on Ashlyn to finish up a meeting she was in so they could go. She brought Dax with her to keep herself company, plus she couldn't leave him alone at home with no one there. Although the security at the front of the building said it wasn't allowed to bring in animals of any kind, Ali somehow finagled Dax inside; possibly the perks of being the company president's wife. 

Dax ran around the office, they played a little game where Dax ran around and Ali caught him and rewarded him with some treats from her purse. The game didn't exactly make sense, but both Ali and Dax got a kick out of it so none minded. There were a few times where Dax knocked something over or scattered a few papers which Ali had to fix, but it was all forgotten when Ali somehow managed to get Dax to do a few tricks. 

Ashlyn finally came back in her office and kissed Ali and picked up Dax, who was energetically running towards her. "You already made an appointment with the doctor right?"

"Yes babe." Ali replied and grabbed her purse, "So can we go now?"

"Of course we can, let me just call Chris to watch Dax because I know for sure he won't be allowed in the doctor's office." Ashlyn said while dialing Chris' number. Once they got everything settled, Ashlyn and Ali made their way to the doctor's office. They rambled on about baby nabbed while they waited in the waiting room, Ali playfully shot a few too many of Ashlyn's which resulted in her kissing the blonde all over the face to make up for it. 

Ali was already sitting on the patient's table in her patient's gown which Ashlyn couldn't help but love because it allowed her to sneak peeks at Ali's bare ass at the moment, even if it meant taking a little swat from her wife, it was worth it.

Dr.Rollins, Ali's current OB, went in and gave Ali a full check up to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. She also talked them through what to expect when they decided to go through the procedures in order to become pregnant. She also informed them on common pregnancy scares and beliefs, and for good measure Dr.Rollins wrote down a few books that she thought would help them out on their first baby before finishing Ali's check up. 

"Okay Ali, you are completely healthy, nothing draws any suspicion so I would say go ahead and get pregnant." Dr.Rollins smiled. 

"We're very glad to hear that, thank you Dr.Rollins." Ali said. 

"It was all my pleasure, Ali. I do hope to see you again, only next I'll be printing out you sonogram with yall baby or even babies."

"I say the more the merrier." Ashlyn grinned and held her wife's hand. 

Ali gave her a little pat on the face, "You're not the one pushing them out, I'm okay with one. Besides, if we have twins you're going to be wrapped around three people's fingers."

"I wouldn't even mind it." Ashlyn replied and kissed her softly. 

Seeing Ali and Ashlyn clearly having a moment together was enough for Dr.Rollins to excuse herself from the room. Ashlyn stood from her spot by the patient table and handed Ali her clothes. She thumbed through some of the pamphlets that Dr.Rollins left for them while Ali got dressed. 

"So boy or girl, which one would you want first." Ashlyn asked. 

"I don't know, I never really thought about it but I wouldn't mind either. If I can spoil them then I'll be a happy mommy." Ali smiled thinking about the vision of her carrying their baby. 

"I like how you think. Although we'll have to split the spoiling equally." 

"Hmm sounds good to me." Ali said and slipped on her light sweater. 

They went over to the reception counter and took care of everything before driving to Chris' and Linda's home. Linda gave them both hugs before a hyper Dax barreled into their legs and was happily barking at their arrival. 

"Dax is a wonderful puppy, and what is this I hear about you two planning on a little one?" Linda asked with a bit of sass and a raised eyebrow. 

"Well my beautiful wifey and I decided that we really want to have kids so I'm knocking my woman up." Ashlyn said with large goofy grin and an audible smooch to Ali's cheek.

"Isn't she adorable." Ali cheesed and gave her a full kiss.

"Ugh you two are disgusting." Chris joked and gave both women a tight hug. "So have yall thought of any baby names yet? Because thise things are hit or miss, and going on some of Ash's childhood pet names, Ali I'd advise you to pick those names out."

"Hey, I came up with some pretty cute names back then." Ashlyn defended.

Chris snorted, "Like chocolate magnolia was a cute name."

"She was a cute chocolate colored bunny, besides she didn't mind." Ashlyn pointed out.

"Wow, after hearing this I'm honestly surprised at how you came up with Dax and not something outrageous." Ali stated and pulled a few treats out for Dax who quickly scampered over to.

"I'm a season name maker. Watch, once you pop out that little nugget, I'll come up with the best name you could never deny." Ashlyn replied.

Ali chucked and picked up Dax, "Are you sure you really want to pitch baby names to a woman that just gave birth? Things could go violent sooo quick."

"True, one of my friend's husband was saying dumb pretty dung things while she was pushing their twins out, and apparently she got so irritated she fractured his hand in three places. Two more births later and the only thing he says during birth are words of encouragement." Linda said as she nodded. 

"He learned well." Ali laughed while petting Dax's belly.

Ashlyn narrowed her eyes and then turned to her wife. "I have my ways wifey, you'll see when the day comes."

"Good luck Ali, you're in for a trip with that one." Chris advised. 

"Oh pahlease, I'd like to see what baby names you come up with other than something stupid like Christopher jr." Ashlyn pointed out. 

Linda patted her husband's back and smiled, "Whenever I get pregnant, all naming responsibilities go to me. Although he is allowed suggestions every now and then."

Chris turned to his wife wide eyed, "But I can come up with great names."

Ali laughed at the two Harris siblings at how jokingly they both were going to have the sane naming privileges, and how she and Linda were definitely going to tease them about it. 

Ashlyn watched her wife and Linda give each other high fives and narrowed her eyes. "Okay that's it, I'm taking my wife and our dog home. Bro your wife is a bad influence on mine."

"Bye guys" Ali said through laughter as she followed Ashlyn back to the car. Chris and Linda aid their goodbyes and watched as they left. Once Ashlyn started up her sports car, Ali spoke up. "You do know once I get pregnant, you're getting rid of this death trap right?"

"Uhh I don't think so, this baby is safe."

"Nope, you're selling it. End of discussion."

"Babe can't we at least-"

"Nope. Besides, maybe the next car you get you can name it chocolate magnolia." Ali said while struggling not to laugh at her own joke. She out ak her effort into petting a now sleeping Dax.

"You're never going to let me love that name down, are you?" Ashlyn groaned. 

"No way babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I time I'm gonna do a time jump in the next chater. I'll make it known so yall aren't confused. :)


	34. Suffocating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is quite a time jump, but I hope I made it very clear and explain what went on between. What went on between will also be looked upon in the next chapters for somethings. :)

Ashlyn laid her suitcase on their bed while Ali semi-waddled from the dresser while carrying a few of Ashlyn's less formal clothing. Ashlyn went wide eyed and leaned over and took the clothing from her wife. Ali was well into her fifth month of pregnancy and Ashlyn was one of the biggest worrywarts to probably ever been introduced to pregnancy. Whether it was by not letting Ali by the microwave while it was on, or not letting her do laudry nor fix the bedsheets, basically it was anything that Ashlyn believed could have even a slight chance of being dangerous or stress causing. Now Ali didn't mind this at first, because who wouldn't mind doing less work around the house but then when you're wife wouldn't let you do anything, you felt bored all the time and craved to do anything. 

There were a times when Ashlyn would agree that she could let up some, but in the end she never actually followed her own words. There was one time Ali was sewing up a little tear in one of her shirts and Ashlyn practically leaped over the couch to take the needle away claiming that sharp things could hurt Ali and the baby. However, the breaking point was one Ashlyn all but forced her to her maternity leave early. Ali tried to reason with her, saying that flowers don't hurt babies, but Ashlyn practically screamed that bees could hurt the both of them.

So now here they were, Ashlyn had to pack for a business trip while Ali had all her efforts of helping her thwarted. Ali sat on the bed and rolled her eyes as she got for ready for Ashlyn to go on about how dangerous picking clothes up from the dresser. 

"Baby you can't help me pack!" Ashlyn exclaimed while laying suits into suit bags. 

"Why?" Ali humored. 

"Because..." Ashlyn trailed off to think before speaking up again. "Because what if the dresser fell down on you babe?! I wouldn't know what to."

Ali snorted, "A dresser falling on me? Babe really, that's the best you could come up with this time?"

"It's not a joke, Alex." Ashlyn said standing firm on her thought. "I don't want you or our baby to hurt. Besides these clothes are heavy which can cause stress and stress-"

"Hurts me and the baby." Ali finished her sentence for her. "I know you've told me like a million times."

"So now you know why I'm doing this. I'm going out of my mind thinking about everything you might try to do while I'm gone." Ashlyn frowned as she thought up all the possible scenarios. 

Ali walked over and zipped up her suitcase and kissed her cheek. "You leave tomorrow for only a week. Not to mention you get to take that business trip in New York City, I'd think you'd be more excited for it."

"Not if it means leaving you and our baby alone." Ashlyn said with a slight whine in her tone while holding Ali by her waist and rubbing her prominent baby bumb with her thumbs.

"I'm gonna miss you too, but I won't be alone since I have Dax. Plus you need to work since you're the president." Ali said before kissing her soundly on the lips. "Besides imagine if I was there with you, I'd drag you from clothing store to clothing store."

Ashlyn shook her head with a grin. "No you wouldn't, because I'd put you in a wheelchair because excessive walking is-"

"Stressful." Ali playfully slapped her arms before moving towards the doorway. "Can I at least cook tonight for your going away dinner?"

"Well...if you're going to lift heavy pots and slave over the hot stove all night then I'd rather we just call in take out." 

"I will slap you silly. Go sit down while I make dinner reservations for us." Ali said and then whistled for Dax, who came running in from the dog door they installed when Dax had gotten significantly bigger over the past five months. Ali found it exceedingly cute how Dax grew as her belly did. 

"If you're just making reservations, then why do you need Dax?"

"Because we're going out for an afternoon walk, isn't that right bud." Ali leaned down slightly and rubbed between his ears which earned her a few licks and a very loud bark. Ali was out the door before Ashlyn could even mutter some kind of excuse as to why she shouldn't get a little exercise with Dax.

Ali and Dax began their walk through the gated neighborhood, she pulled out her phone and dialled her own family and Ashlyn's family. Once the plans for the dinner was finalized, Ali takes Dax with her on one more lap around the neighborhood with Dax before making her way back home. 

"Okay babe get ready because we're going to dinner, I'm not cooking so there's no stress on me, so I think you'll love that." Ali stated as she removed Dax's collar, got him food and water and went towards the bathtub while Ashlyn followed her into the bathroom with a pouty facial expression. 

"Baby..." Ashlyn whined.

Ali turned on the faucet and gave her wife a look, "I don't understand whine babe."

Ashlyn helped her remove her shirt and bra before kissing her neck and slipping her thumbs into the elastic band of Ali's yoga pants. 

"Oh that's what's you wanted." Ali smiled and threaded her hand into Ashlyn's hair. "But let's take it to the tub because I can't do this standing up anymore."

Ashlyn all but olympic record stripped off her own clothing and laid in the tub first so Ali would lay into her. Ali laid into and turned her head to kiss her wife deeply, she moaned into her lips as Ashlyn's hands slowly descended down her sides and to her folds. They continued their intense kisses as Ashlyn entered Ali, making Ali gasp into her mouth. Ever since Ali's pregnancy began showing, she was a lot more sensitive whenever they made love, which they both loved. Ashlyn loved the opportunity to make Ali lose her mind whenever she touched her, and Ali loved the fact that her body responded to Ashlyn in a way she never felt with anyone before. 

Ashlyn's fingers continued to stoke her towards some of the most intense orgasms she's had during her pregnancy. Once she felt one of Ashlyn's hands lightly caress her breasts she came on her wife's fingers with a loud but somehow silent yell. She dropped her head backwards onto her wife's shoulder when she felt Ashlyn's fingers begin to rub hard circles into her very sensitive clit. She gripped onto her arms moved her hips so Ashlyn could get a better angle. 

"Oh god baby keep going, I need more." Ali breathed into her neck. 

Ashlyn leaned back enough to kiss her wife while she stroked her to another orgasm. When she felt her wife's walls begin to tighten around her fingers and her moans becoming increasingly louder, Ashlyn knew she was right on the edge. She curled her fingers and felt Ali tense up before relaxing completely in her arms. Ashlyn stroked her slowly and gently while sucking lightly on her neck to help her come down. 

"Hmm this is one thing I will not hate about pregnancies." Ali said with an airy voice. 

"I definitely don't mind this part. It's a very welcome change from the morning sickness and nausea." Ashlyn mumbled on Ali's neck, "Besides, you're horny all the time, I won't complain."

"Of course you wouldn't." Ali flicked some water at her. 

~~~

After both women finished getting dressed, they sent Dax over to Doggie Daycare before going to the restaurant. All of their family was there more so to see and touch Ali's baby bump rather than the fact that Ashlyn was traveling since they were used to it. Everyone went back and forth on caressing Ali's baby bump and marveling about beautiful she was looking and how she had a certain glow to her. Grandma Harris and Kyke were over the moon on what they thought they thought were little kicks from the baby, Ali joked around saying it was indigestion. 

When the food came around, Ashlyn made sure to take the knife and cut up whatever part of Ali's meal that needed cutting. Ali rolled her eyes, it really was growing to be a pain, Ashlyn was becoming overbearing and no matter how cute Ali thought it was in the beginning, she couldn't take it anymore. 

"Babe stop, I mean it." Ali frowned and tried to take the knife from her. 

"I got it." Ashlyn replied. 

Kyle snickered from his end at the table, "Damn sis, you don't like that princess treatment?"

"It's not princess treatment, I'm being suffocated by my wife." Ali clarified. She went on to explain how Ashlyn wouldn't let her do anything around the house, how she couldn't even order or eat her own food without Ashlyn somehow shoving her input into it. Ali explained how even taking Dax on a measly walk around the neighborhood was somehow dangerous and stressful for her and the baby. Both the Harris and the Krieger family laughed at how Ashlyn was reacting to their first baby and Ken went on to say that he'd probably acted the same way but a lesser extent than Ashlyn. Kyle even threw out a joke about Ali being estatic for Ashlyn to leave for her trip so she could breathe, Ali jokingly agreed. Everyone continued making jokes about it until the end of dinner and they parted ways and headed home, picking up Dax along the way. Ashlyn was quiet the entire time and Ali couldn't help but think something was wrong. 

"Somethings wrong." Ali asked while petting Dax at the foot of their bed. 

Ashlyn practically tore off her tie and stomped to their bathroom. Ali just sighed and changed into her sleepwear before climbing into bed. She turned off the bedside lamp and got comfortable, she waited for Ashlyn come back to bed but realized she'd been gone for 30 minutes. So Ali waddled down to the living room where she saw Ashlyn sitting with the remote in hand, she stood right in front of her view. 

Ashlyn sighed and tried to look around her but with Ali's pregnant belly it was easier said than done. 

"I can't see the tv." Ashlyn muttered. 

Ali placed her hands on her hips, "You need to come to bed, you leave in the morning."

"I know when my flight leaves."

"Ash what's wrong because you're acting very odd." Ali asked. 

Ashlyn scoffed and shook her head, "Ali just go to sleep, I'll be up in a little while." She said it in such a tone that pretty much ended the conversation. 

Ali couldn't tell what was bothering her wife and the fact that she wouldn't tell her hurt Ali in a way that she didn't think was possible. She gave a slight nod before heading towards the stairs. "Goodnight Ash." Ali went back to bed and felt Dax curl into her legs, before she fell asleep she never remembered feeling the bed dip signifying Ashlyn's entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes I know I left it like that ;)


	35. NYC to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting swamped with school work right now but I promised to update and here it is :)

Ali woke up to Dax licking her face and Ashlyn bustling around the room fully dressed for the airport. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes while giving Dax a little pet before turning her full attention to Ashlyn. The same wife that Ali didn't remember coming to bed last night, or the same wife that all but dismissed her last night. Ali wanted answers and there was no way that she was going to allow Ashlyn to leave for another city for an entire week without resolving whatever was going on between them. 

"Babe why are rushing? You're plane doesn't leave for another three hours." Ali asked as she went into the bathroom to begin freshening up. When Ali finished brushing her teeth and still didn't get a reply from her wife, she walked back into the bedroom only to see Ashlyn tugging her suitcase down the stairs. 

Ali gave a little call for Dax to follow her so she could fix him some breakfast. Usually whenever Ali tried to pull out his large bag of dog food, Ashlyn was always quick to take it from her claiming that it's too heavy for her to be lifting while pregnant, but this time Ashlyn didn't even spare her so much of a glance. 

Once Ali got Dax situated she made a small breakfast for the both of them, knowing that Ashlyn hated to eat large before getting in a flight. However, when Ashlyn walked past the offered breakfast plate, Ali couldn't take it anymore. 

"Ashlyn tell me right now what's going on! Because you can't ignore me like this!" Ali raised her voice. 

"Nothings going on, everything's fine." Ashlyn said with a bit of bite. 

"Don't lie to me, because any other morning you'd be so fast to take the dog food from me and do it yourself. You didn't even come to bed last night, you're not even eating breakfast. I want to know what's wrong." Ali practically pleaded with her wife. 

Ashlyn turned around to face her with an apathetic face. "I'm doing exactly what you wanted, I'm letting you breathe, I'm letting you do whatever the hell you want."

"You're ignoring me, it's like you don't even want to be near me anymore." Ali replied, hear voice sounding as fragile as glass at the moment, any sudden increase in emotion and it would break there. 

"No I'm not. You told Kyle that you couldn't wait for me to take this trip so you could breathe-"

"That was joke Ash, I didn't mean it seriously!" Ali tried to clarify. 

Ashlyn snorted, "Oh please. You practically embarrassed me the entire time last night, going on and on about how stupid and clueless I looked over the past months. You laughed it all up with them, and you wonder why I'm mad. You should've even thrown out that Ashlyn Harris is the synonym for dumbass when it comes to pregnancy! Because apparently you think I don't know shit when it comes to this stuff!"

Ali flinched back at Ashlyn's anger, she'd never seen her this angry and never was it ever directed at her. "Baby I'm telling you the truth, I didn't mean it seriously. We were just joking around, I love that you dote on me, it's cute."

"You guys were laughing at the expense of me. You went on and on about how ridiculous I looked doing things that I thought was reasonable. You couldn't even just pull me to the side and tell me, no, you make me into the fucking laughing stock in front of everyone." Ashlyn growled.

"Baby I'm sorry, I didn't mean for last night to hurt you like that. I'd thought you'd laugh at it." Ali responded. 

"Yea well you did, besides did you even hear me chuckle?" Ashlyn asked, when Ali shook her head Ashlyn continued. "Thought so. It's because you were so busy mocking me, you probably forgot my feelings even existed." She doubled checked making sure she had everything with her before grabbing her suitcase.

Ali felt like her heart was shattering right now. In no way did she mean to hurt Ashlyn's feelings like this and if she had any inclination that she did then Ali would've apologized the moment she knew. Ashlyn was going to be the mother of their children and Ali knew she was more than qualified to do so. 

"Can I drop you off at the airport?" Ali asked timidly. 

"No I called a cab already, they're probably waiting outside for me already." Ashlyn declined. 

"Ashlyn please, I don't want you to get on the plane angry. I want to fix this, please."

"Well I need time to think, and to be honest, I don't feel like talking anymore." Ashlyn said and opened the front door. 

"Can't I at least kiss you goodbye?" Ashlyn gave her a look before turning back and giving her possibly one of the briefest kisses she'd ever received from Ashlyn. She barely got to tell her 'I love you and be safe' before Ashlyn was out of the door. She watched as Ashlyn entered the cab and it drove away. All Ali wanted to do was run after the her and keep apologizing until Ashlyn could accept it, but she'd have to settle for curling back into their bed and crying herself to sleep over and over until Ashlyn came back. Somehow Dax sensed her sadness and immediately went over to her, nudging her knees with his nose.

"Dax, I hurt her and I don't know what to do." Ali said, Dax just gave her a whine and licked her fingers. "I didn't mean to, Dax, I swear I didn't mean to." Ali repeated as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

~~~

Later in the afternoon, Ali took Dax with her to the flower shop. She grew extremely tired of crying after sending Ashlyn plenty of messages but getting no replies. She figured that Ashlyn was keen on not talking to her and it hurt bad. If Ali could go back in time and stop herself from blabbing on about Ashlyn at dinner, she would. 

After Ali took care of what she wanted to the flower shop before saying goodbye to her employees and going home with Dax. She knew Ashlyn had already landed in New York City by now just because she knew Ashlyn's flight by heart as always. She filled up Dax's food and water bowl before tending to the plants in the sun room, as she finished up the last one Ali dialled Linda's number. 

"Hey Ali, what's going on." Linda said. 

"I was wondering if you and Chris could watch Dax for a few days?" Ali asked while going into Ashlyn's study to use her computer. 

"Sure, but I thought you'd want Dax around since Ash will be gone for her trip?" Linda questioned. 

"I just need to do something and I'll be back. I promise I won't take long." Ali reassured. 

"Can you tell me what it is that you have to do?"

"It's kind of private but it's nothing dangerous."

"Alright, I won't meddle any further, bring Dax whenever."

"Okay thanks, I'll bring him by in the morning."

"See you then."

Ali hung up, finalized her plans grin the computer and started dinner, she didn't make much because she knew she wouldn't be here to finish any leftovers. Once they got situated, with Ali laying on Ashlyn's side and Dax on her own side they fell asleep. 

~~~

The taxi stopped at the front of Chris' and Linda's home, Kinda was already waiting outside for her and Dax. Ali never really needed to keep Dax on a leash because he would generally always walk side by side with her but she'd definitely leave a leash for Linda. She handed over Dax and his dog bag and told Linda Abby other information she'd need to take care of him. Linda just laughed it off telling her that she'd taken care of Dax before and Ali shouldn't worry. Once Ali said goodbye to both Linda and Chris, she re-entered the taxi and drummed her fingers on the small suitcase with here. She made what could be seen as a a hasty decision, she bought a plane ticket to New York to fix what she'd done. Never did she want to hurt her wife like this but regardless of how she thought she would never purposely hurt Ashlyn, she did and now she needed to fix it. She knew every detail of where Ashlyn would be staying and where her meetings would take place. Ali just hoped that this wouldn't blow up in her face when she got there. 

On her way to New York, Ali tried calling and texting her wife, she'd even tried sending emails but none seemed good enough to envoke a response out of her wife. Ali slipped her cellphone back into her purse and wheeled her small suitcase with her and stood outside waiting for the taxi she'd paid for to wait for her arrival. 

"Excuse me are you lost?" A man asked, he looked to be in his early thirties and in the corporate world based on his attire. He was attractive, but Ali didn't care, she came here for one thing only and he wasn't it. 

"No, I'm waiting on my taxi to come, but I'm guessing traffic is keeping it a bit." Ali smiled. 

"Ah okay, I just thought it was kinda odd to see a pregnant woman all by herself at an airport." The man replied. Ali just gave him a nod before turning back over to the lanes of taxi cars in front of the arrival gate. "I'm Andrew, here on a business trip."

"I could tell," Ali replied and pointed to his suit. She gave him another polite smile before seeing a sign with her name on it. She could tell the man was trying to hit on her, despite the fact she's clearly showing in her pregnancy and the wedding ring on her finger. "I'm Ali and it was nice to meet you Andrew but I have to get going."

Andrew tried to get her attention as she left but the noise and bustle of the arrival area left his hopes unfulfilled. 

The drive to the hotel was relatively long, took almost an hour or two, but with her pregnancy bladder it felt like forever. Once she arrived, she went up to the front desk and brought out her driver's license. 

"Excuse me, my wife Ashlyn Harris is staying here." Ali showed him her ID before continuing. "I was wondering if I could be put in her room."

The front desk guy gave her a look but once his eyes flickered down to her pregnant belly and nodded. He handed her a room key with a smile. "I see, nice to meet you Mrs.Harris, your wife is at a meeting right now so she won't be up for a while. Shall I tell her you're here?"

"It's a surprise, so I'd rather you not." Ali informed. 

"Well enjoy your stay, her room is 324 on the third floor."

"Thank you." Ali gathered her belongings and was about to go up to the elevator when she heard a familiar voice call for her. 

"Hey Ali!" Andrew jogged over to her while wheeling his own suitcase with him. "Who would've thought we'd be at the same hotel."

"Yes, it's quite a coincidence." Ali noted but just wanted to go upstairs and empty her bladder. 

"Maybe we could-"

"I'm sorry, I really need to get upstairs. Maybe we'll see each other some other time." Ali said but really hoped they wouldn't see each other again. She entered the now open elevator and let it take her up the three floors before power walking into Ashlyn's room. She smiled at the familiar smell and sight of her wife's typical room behavior, clothes hanging on chairs and the almost trademark cologne that her wife frequented. It was all calming to her but Ali really needed a shower. After she finished up her bathroom business which included taking a shower, she changed into clean clothing. Ali wanted to call or text her wife but the universe said no by leaving her phone dead, she had no other choice then to plug in her phone to charge and take a quick nap until Ashlyn came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pregnant Ali all the way in NYC :p


	36. Where's My Wife?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update yesterday but I needed to study for a mathematics exam. But now that I'm am done testing, here is the update :)

When Ashlyn landed in New York City she felt like complete crap. Yes, Ali had embarrassed her, and mocked her making her feel as if she wasn't ready or able to take care of her pregnant wife or the child she would give birth to. It was a terrible feeling, especially when it came from the woman she loved the most. But even though Ashlyn was hurt, she couldn't stand how she was treating Ali, ignoring her was a childish thing to do but Ashlyn didn't want to explode on her like she did that morning. But man was it eating her up. 

Ashlyn went through her entire first day in NYC gloomy. She wanted to put aside her hurt and pride and just call her wife but it was easier said than done. She wanted to prove her point and let Ali do whatever she wanted without her butting her head into things, she wanted Ali to feel how hurt she was but even Ashlyn could tell how wrong she was going about it. 

So in an attempt to drown out her sorrows, she went out with a few friends she knew around the city for some drinks. It worked, and by the end of the night Ashlyn had forgotten about what was going on at home and was singing karaoke with a few drunk friends. Although she was quickly reminded when she woke up in the morning with a slight headache and a phone full of notifications from her wife, it also didn't help that her lock screen was of her, Ali with her baby bump stirring in her lap and Dax by their side. 

Ashlyn got ready, brushing her teeth and showering before putting on her slacks, white dress shirt and navy blue blazer. She grabbed her briefcase, watch and phone before exiting the room and heading towards the meeting room. The hotel was gracious enough to allow them the usage of their conference room and Ashlyn liked the fact that they didn't have to suffer through the eternal pain of NYC traffic. 

Ashlyn sat through the meeting waiting for her turn to take lead. Once it came, she explained everything about the company, new things they were planning on implementing and exclusive opportunities in insurance plans for some partners. After they closed up the meeting, the hotel management staff brought in lunch for them before they parted. Ashlyn grabbed a sandwich and a water before taking a seat again. She could hear some guy talking animatedly among some others and decided to listen in, she remembered him as Andrew; he was a representative for a paper company.

"You guys would not believe it. I was leaving my flight to come here and lo and behold there was one of the hottest women I've ever seen in my life." Andrew spoke. 

Ashlyn rolled her eyes at the douchebag sounding guy, she knew everyone was supposed to be friendly for the sake of business but she really could care less about what woman he was hoping to score. She was about to ignore him again when something said caught her attention. 

"The weird part was that she's pregnant, but she is one fine piece of ass. I don't know if she's married but I do know that her name is Ali and I wouldn't mind running into her again. I like a challenge if you know what I mean." Andrew practically grinned and gave someone a little nudge.

Ashlyn all but dropped her sandwich, "You said she's pregnant and her name is Ali? What else did she look like?!"

"Nuh uh, I found her first Harris, besides, you're married, you can't be looking at the menu or else you'll be in trouble with the Mrs." Andrew said with a smug look.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes and stood, "Listen you piece of shit, what did she look like? I'm not gonna ask again." She was one step away from slamming him on table and knocking the daylights out of him, but that'd get her nowhere. 

Andrew held up his hands in defense. "Okay okay, she has a great ass and dark brown hair. She said her name was Ali, I think she's staying in this hotel. I think she had a ring on her hand but she didn't say anything about a spouse so I thought that she's unhappily married. Fair game."

Ashlyn ran out of the room and tried dialing Ali's number, mumbling 'please pick up' however it sent her to voice mail three straight times. She dialed Linda's number hoping she'd pick up as well. 

"Hey Ash-"

"Where's Ali?!" Ashlyn yelled and cut her off, she wasn't trying to be rude but she needed to get to the point quickly. She pressed both elevator buttons but they were coming too slow for her liking so she turned to the stairway. 

"What?! I don't... I don't know, she didn't tell me. All she said was to watch Dax for a few days." Linda rushed out. "You can't find her?!"

"No, oh god Linda I don't know." Ashlyn said while practically jumping down three steps at a time. Her heart was racing, her mind wouldn't stop thinking of all the worst case scenarios that could happen, and she couldn't get over how she treated Ali the last time she'd talked to her; Ashlyn was in complete turmoil. 

"I can try to call her-"

"I already tried, it went straight to voice mail." Ashlyn replied. 

"Well try yall bank account, she probably had to use her credit card rather than carry around cash." Linda suggested, she wanted to freak out just like her sister-in-law was, but she knew she had to be calm for Ashlyn's sake. 

"Okay, I'll call you back when I know something."

"She'll be okay, Ash." Linda reassured. 

Ashlyn nodded to herself before ending the call, she was hoping Ali was okay, because she didn't know what she'd do if something terrible happened to both her wife and their unborn child. She scrolled through her phone and checked their bank accounts. She saw Ali's card charge for a plane ticket to NYC and a taxi, but she still had no idea where Ali was. Ashlyn finally made it down to the front desk and rang the bell insistently. 

"How can I help you Mrs.Harris?" The front desk manager asked. 

"Have you seen this woman?" Ashlyn asked and showed him a picture of Ali on her phone. "Have you seen my wife? She's pregnant you couldn't miss her." The front desk manager showed a bit of hesitation and Ashlyn all but pleaded. "Please!"

"She's in your room, she came by earlier when you were in a meeting." 

"Thank you." Ashlyn ran back to the stairway and hopped up just as much as she jumped down earlier, her slacks weren't made for running but she sure made them look like sports issued running pants. She slid her room key into the card reader and barreled into, she was about to call for Ali when she saw her sleeping in the bed. She walked quietly to the bed and sat beside her, leaning down to kiss her hair to make sure she was really real. 

"Oh god Alex, oh I thought I lost you." Ashlyn mumbled into her slightly damp hair, she couldn't hold in the tears of relief that rolled down her cheeks. She lifted the blankets a bit to make sure no harm had befallen her wife and child before kissing her forehead. Her whole body was automatically relaxed just at the first opportunity to hold and touch her wife again. 

Ali began to stir and mumbled Ashlyn's name. Her eyes opened slowly before focusing on Ashlyn before going out to hold her hand, "Baby I'm sorry. I didn't mean to treat you that way at dinner, and I never want to hurt you Ash but I did and I'm so sorry."

Ashlyn leaned down and kissed her lips hard before leaning their foreheads together. "It's okay baby, it's okay."

"It's not, Ash. I treated you badly and I shouldn't have-"

Ashlyn took her face into her hands and kissed her again. "I thought I lost you, baby no one could find you and I shouldn't have ignored your calls and messages. I should've been there, you're my wife and soon to be the mother of our child, I shouldn't have left like that."

"I wanted to make things right, I couldn't wait for you come back. It was my fault." Ali stated. "I tried to tell you but you wouldn't take any of my messages so I thought this would be better to do instead."

"I know. I should've been mature and stayed, I shouldn't have left angry like that." Ashlyn admitted. "Baby I was so scared, I've never felt that way before, but I'm just happy you're okay. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not since the morning, I was too tired by the time I got to the hotel." Ali said sheepishly, she knew that Ashlyn was about to go full mama bear on her.

Ashlyn just nodded and kissed her forehead before grabbing the hotel phone to call in room service. Once she finished, she stripped off her shoes, belt, and blazer before climbing in bed and pulling Ali into her body and holding her close. She could feel Ali's still damp hair and guessed that she showered before falling asleep. Ali quickly dozed off once more and didn't awake until her stomach rumbled and she smelled food.

"Baby Harris said it's time to eat." Ali said with a hint of smile while Ashlyn moved a bunch of plates to reat on the bed.

"Go ahead and eat babe, I know you're hungry." Ashlyn said and caressed her cheek. 

Ali moved her head towards her touch and nodded. She carefully crossed the area on the bed so she didn't jostle any of the plates, she didn't stop until she was face to face with her wife. "Ashlyn, I'm sorry for what I did at dinner. I didn't mean to embarrass you, put you down, disregard your feelings, and make you feel as if you weren't qualified enough to take care of me or our baby. Ashlyn I love you, and I know that you're more than qualified to be a mother and a loving wife."

Ashlyn took both her hands and intertwined their fingers. "I'm sorry for suffocating you, it's just my first time ever experiencing pregnancy so I'm overreacting, I won't lie. But I shouldn't have blown up on you like that, or left you the way I did, or ignore you, my anger took control and I didn't react or communicate properly. But god when someone described you at the meeting, I got scared, especially when no one knew where you were. I thought I lost you, and I realized how badly I overreacted."

"I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to grab the bull by the horns per say. I guess it didn't work out the exact way I thought it would."

"I think it worked out very well actually. You're here, I'm here, and we're talking like how we should've in the first place." Ashlyn smiled. "My wife is here in the concrete city with me and my unbearable self and you can't leave."

"Oh really, and who says I want to leave my overbearing wife anyways?" Ali playfully said and kissed her before turning to the food laid out in front of them. "Thank you for lunch baby."

"You're welcome. By the way how do you know that sleeze ball Andrew?" Ashlyn asked and grabbed a plate of chicken and potatoes. 

"I saw him when I was the airport and the hotel, he was nice but he stared at my ass and was trying to hit on me the entire time." Ali answered while drinking apple juice. 

Ashlyn nodded, "I was debating whether or not to kick his ass for staring at my wife's butt. I mean how could he not see the diamond boulder in your finger? The guy thought that he might have a chance with and was seriously going to attempt to pursue you."

"I didn't know that, but I really don't care about Andrew right now to be honest." Ali replied and kissed Ashlyn again but deeply. 

Ashlyn kissed back just as passionately. "Hmm what exactly do you want to do?" 

"You for one, I think hot make up sex is in order."

"It'll be a bit hard seeing as how we have all this food on the bed. Not to mention you need to wait and let your food digest before we attempt anything, and what have I told you falling asleep with your hair wet can get you sick." 

"Well there's my overbearing wife that I especially love." Ali chucked and pecked her lips. 

Ashlyn kissed her nose and rubbed her cheek with her thumb. "Will you tell me if I'm too much? I don't want to be too much you know."

"I will let you know, I promise. Besides, I think this is all just extra love that you manifest into being a chronic worrier. But I love you and everything that comes with it, and you can rest assured that baby Harris loves it as well."

Ashlyn grinned and leaned down to kiss her baby bump and then her. "I love you both so much."

"I know, now let's hurry up so we can get to the love making already."

"Ooo, did I mention I love your pregnancy hormones?"

Ali pretended to think before answering. "Maybe once or twice, but I think you usually just showed me how much you love them." 

Ashlyn didn't need to be hinted at twice to make love to her wife before she kissed her hard to begin what would be an extremely enjoyable make up for the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As much as I know you guys will hate this but.. Andrew is present in the next chapter /.\


	37. Baby Clothes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is last chapter Andrew will appear in :)

It was one of the last days for Ashlyn's business trip in NYC and her and Ali more fixed their problems. They were in a great place, possibly an even better place seeing as how they discussed what was okay to worry about and when the worrying became too much, Ali should feel comfortable to express that to Ashlyn. Of course it was a bit hard for Ashlyn to fully commit to worrying less, she loved her wife and knew she was responsible enough to know what was safe and what wasn't. Ali had explained to Ashlyn that it felt like Ashlyn didn't trust her when she doted on her too much, Ali did inform her that she secretly loved when she did it but only in moderation. But above all, they made sure that everything they both did was out of love and honesty and promised to always communicate no matter what.

"Are we still going to those baby stores today?" Ali asked while pulling on her thermal thights.

Ashlyn nodded and laced up her boots. "I think you mean to ask if we're going to buy our kids over-priced baby clothes. That's The real question."

"But you promised." Ali pouted with her bottom lip sticking out in the most adorable way Ashlyn had ever seen. If their child inherited that pout, Ashlyn was done for. 

"I know and we still are." Ashlyn kissed her wife before kneeling down to lace up her wife's boots since she couldn't exactly reach it with her large baby bump. 

Once they finished getting ready, Ashlyn held Ali's bag and took her hand as they stepped into the elevator. Ashlyn was making a joke about the corny elevator music when it stopped on the second floor and Andrew stood at the opening.

"Aw fuck me." Ashlyn muttered but grunted when Ali elbowed her. Ashlyn grumbled but scooted over and held a protective arm around her wife. 

Although Ashlyn and Ali worked out their own problems, Ashlyn still couldn't help but want to punch Andrew in the face. Andrew treated her wife like a piece of meat that would bend to his sexual whim and that pissed her off. Ali of course wanted no confrontation of any kind so Ashlyn of course relented to doing what she originally planned. 

Andrew walked in with a with a shy smile and took his place in the elevator. He could feel Ashlyn's eyes burning into him so he whistled while they waited. The elevator was just about to stop on the ground floor until it gave a sharp jerk and stopped.

"Why?" Ashlyn groaned, "Out of all people to leave me stuck with in an elevator it just had to be you huh?" She aimed her words directly at Andrew.

Andrew turned around with his hands up, "Okay I'm just gonna address the elephant in the room or well elevator. I accidentally checked your wife out and more so tried to flirt with her but if I knew that's who she was then I would've showed her the utmost respect. I'm sorry to the both of you, I mean it."

Ashlyn scoffed and glared at him, "Who checks out a pregnant woman? And who is blind enough not to think that the boulder on her finger meant she wasn't happily married?"

"Babe." Ali hissed and jerked her arm. 

"I'm sorry, but your wife is freaking hot, pregnancy and all. She was by herself so who am I to leave her alone." Andrew defended.

"Are you kidding me!" Ashlyn seethed and took a predatory step forward. 

"It's a compliment!"

"Stop looking at my wife, don't think about her, don't talk about her and don't even compliment her!" Ashlyn snarled with a finger in his chest, "Because if you do, you're leaving this elevator in a body bag."

Ali groaned and rolled her eyes. She grabbed her snarling wife by the wrist and pulled her back. "You two are insufferable. Look Andrew, I thought you were a nice guy until I figured out you were hitting on me, now you're creepy. I love my wife, and we love the child I'm going to give birth to. You've apologized and I accept it only so that I can forget about you. Now that we've solved that, can you two please stop bickering so we can wait in silence until they fix the elevator?"

"Well you heard my wife, can it ya creep." Ashlyn smirked and wrapped her arm back around her wife. 

Andrew just kept his eyes glued to elevator buttons in front of himself. He was keen on keeping quiet until he remembered something. "This isn't going to affect you guys giving the company I work for insurance, right? Because I might get fired if I messed this up."

Ashlyn shrugged, "Maybe, maybe not. Ain't my business."

Ali chuckled and rested her head on her wife's shoulder. "My feet hurt babe."

Ashlyn kissed her forehead and slid down so she was in a sitting position. She patted her lap and Ali sat in it while stretching out her feet. Ali didn't care if Andrew was staring or found it weird, if he knew what was good for him he'd keep quiet, and apparently he did. 

They sat there for a few more minutes, Ashlyn conversed with her wife while Andrew stood in silence before the intercom came on to tell them that the elevator was now working and they apologized for the inconvenience. Once the elevator landed on the ground floor, Ali led her wife out of the elevator and out the front doors without sparing Andrew another look. 

Once they were inside the warmth of an arranged car that Ashlyn had for her business trip, Ashlyn finally let out her long sigh. Ali was quick to lean on her to offer her contact. 

"What's up babe?" 

"I'm just thinking about Andrew."

Ali turned and gave her a confused look. "What? Why?"

"The guy's a creep, Al. Imagine if he had a little less morals than he did now, imagine what a guy like him could've done to you when you were making your way here. I just get those thoughts and I get so mad at myself for not being mature and a good wife. My decision to ignore you like that could've led to so many terrible outcomes." Ashlyn spoke. Those thoughts had been eating away at her for so long, and even though her and Ali both played a hand in their marital spat,Ashlyn would never forgive herself of something bad had befallen her wife, especially with their unborn child. 

Ali's hands on her cheeks broke her from her thoughts. 

"Hey, we both messed up. And I know that coming to New York was definitely risky, believe me I was a nervous wreck when I got here. But I wanted to make things right with you, and I took all precautions I could think of when meeting strangers. I made sure that my conversation with Andrew was brief and very limited." Ali explained. 

"I know but I just...what if something had happened? I don't even know how I'd function anymore." Ashlyn looked at her with sadness and an apology in her hazel eyes. 

Ali leaned in and kissed her hard. She kissed with whatever emotion she could give her wife, anything that could convey the fact that she was safe and healthy. "I'm okay baby. You don't have to think about what ifs, because I'm fine, we're fine." Ali assured and laid both hers and Ashlyn's hand on her belly. "We're fine."

Ashlyn nodded softly and kissed her again while rubbing her thumb lightly across her wife's belly. "We're fine."

~~~

They walked into the expensive baby boutique. Ali practically squealed and did a weird waddle and run over to the display of baby boy onesies. Ashlyn tried with all her might not to go full overprotective mama bear on her wife, so she bit her cheek with a grimace and followed her.

"Baby these are sooo cute!" Ali gushed while holding up typical baby clothing with the printings of 'Mommy's baby girl', 'World's Most Adorable Chunker', and 'Think I'm cute, just look at my mommies'. Ali had the most cutest grin that Ashlyn had ever seen, and it prompted her to do the same. 

"Our little girl is going to be freaking adorable in these." Ashlyn added. 

They knew the sex of their baby already and if they had to ask who was more excited it was hands down Ali. Ashlyn loved the fact that they were having a girl but at the same time it meant double overprotective Ashlyn for the both of the soon to be most important women in her life and it also meant that she'd most likely be dealing with two very large divas. Ali jokingly reassured her that there was a slight that their baby girl wouldn't be a diva, abd Ashlyn couldn't help but laugh.

"So when are you going to finish the nursery? Cause you know this bun only has a few more months in this oven." Ali said with a slight chuckle while looking over some more clothing. Anyone she liked was tossed into the cart Ashlyn was carrying. 

"Don't worry, me and Chris are going to finish it when we get more time off from work. Besides I think our little nugget wouldn't mind sleeping in our bed." 

"True, but you still need to finish it." Ali pointed out.

"Got it babe."

Ashlyn and Ali practically had the cart filled to brim when one of the boutique workers stopped by them. 

"Let me guess, first baby?" The woman smiled. 

"Yup, she's already our little bundle of joy. I honestly can't wait till she comes out." Ali said lovingly and ran a gentle hand over her baby bump. 

"Well congratulations, I can tell you two will be great parents, the love yall share practically oozes out of yall."

"Thank you." Ashlyn smiled to the woman as the moved on to other displays of clothing. Ali picked some more clothing to the point where Ashlyn had to hold them in her free hands. 

"You know what babe, if our girl is anything like you, we're going to need 15 dressers because the amount of clothing you've gotten for her could clothe an entire classroom of kids." Ashlyn joked. 

"We're spoiling our baby. Don't worry, once we've got a handle on our little girl once she here, you'll get a lot of spoiling as well." Ali winked and continued looking over some clothing. 

"I can't be mad at that." Ashlyn mumbled with a goofy smile. Ashlyn knew when their little girl was born their stress level was going to rise and their alone time would definitely decrease. Most of the time when they made love it was more so Ashlyn doing most of the work, Ali of course was able to reciprocate in her early stages of pregnancy but as she progressed it became increasingly harder for Ali to reciprocate. If Ashlyn was honest, she was hoping sex marathons any time they could put their daughter to bed and knowing Ali it was most likely going to happen. Her eyes traveled down to her wife's backside and bit her lip thinking about the times ahead. 

Ali snapped in front her wife and wagged her fingers at her. "Eyes up Stud and help me get some more over priced clothing for our baby girl."

Ashlyn chuckled and followed after her wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of right now I'm brainstorming some possible ideas for this fic, trying to come up with another story and balancing school work. So if the frequency in chapters are a bit wonky, I apologize in advance.


	38. Godmother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew finally got some time to actually write, so here's the next chapter. I thought about making drama with Jesse but idk I didn't feel like it fit right. :/

Ali picked things from the shelf and deposited them into the shopping cart. It was March which meant allergy season, which also meant it was a horrible time for Ashlyn because she was incredibly susceptible to getting allergy related symptoms. The funniest thing was that Ali was due in just a few weeks but here she was waddling with a shopping cart full of allergy medication, and components for dinner. However, the perks of being heavily pregnant was that everyone, men and women alike offered to do practically everything for her, whether it was pushing her cart for her, getting items from the shelves and so on. The part that made Ali giggle to herself was the fact that her sickly wife was in the store with her but lagging around in some other aisle. 

Ali was in the midst of pushing the cart from out the aisle so she could look for her wife when a can of baked beans rolled over to her foot. Ali squated down and picked up the can of beans, despite her very pregnant belly, Ali had managed to master the art of squatting down and picking up things. Ashlyn always claimed that it'd induce her labor, so Ali thought it be hilarious to one day fake labor when she squatted down to place Dax's bowl onto the floor. She damn near gave Ashlyn a heartattack which she apologized for but even laughed about how bad Ali got her.

Ali rose up and looked up to see Jesse staring wide eyed at her. "Jesse hey, how've you been?"

"I'm uh.. I've been good. I can see that you've been busy." Jesse said and cleared her throat whole her eyes looked down to her baby bump.

"Pinoe said you moved from that apartment." Ali stated and handed her back the can of beans. 

Jesse chuckled and dropped it into her cart. "I thought I'd be better off just geting a smaller place, it's cheaper."

Ali sighed and placed both hands on her cart. "Jess, how'd it get so weird between us? You've been avoiding me for months both in person and technology. I dont think I deserved that kind of treatment."

"Yea I just...I needed time to really think and digest everything. At your wedding, I was jealous as hell, you looked so beautiful in your dress and I just wished that you were marrying me, I'm not even going to lie. But, I shouldn't have cut contact with you because you were honest with me, but it still hurt you know." Jesse explained.

"You know the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you." Ali said. Of course she and Jesse still talked with each other but it was a significant drop off from what it was usually. Although Ali said that she didn't mean to hurt Jesse, she couldn't exactly blame her for going a bit AWOL. Ali knew how it felt when someone you love hurts you, she couldn't expect Jesse to be a-okay with everything that happened, she just wished that she was kept more in the loop.

"I know that, but I fell in love with you while you fell in love with someone else, it was a recipe for disaster from the start." Jesse admitted. "But I'm definitely happy for you and Ashlyn, and you child on the way. To tell you the truth, I could honestly mean what I just said if you saw me months ago, but Ali I really mean I'm happy for you and your family. You deserve to be happy, and Ashlyn can give you that happiness."

"You deserve happiness as well Jess, I can't express that enough." Ali smiled. 

"And I'm grateful for that, you didn't change the way how you treated me, you didn't make things awkward, I did that. But I'm good now, it doesn't hurt me to see you happy, it actually makes me happy as well." Jesse said and smiled.

"Babeee, I can't find the strawberry decongestant medicine." Ashlyn said in an odd nasally voice with a few breaths between each word. 

"That's because I got the last one and put it in our cart." Ali explained. 

"Oh you're a lifesaver." Ashlyn smiled and took hold of the shopping cart. "You should let me push this heavy thing."

"Aah please, you look lethargic right now." Ali chuckled but let Ashlyn hold onto the cart anyways. "You know what? Jesse why don't you come to our place for dinner, we could catch up better that way."

"Yea, of course. But Ashlyn shouldn't cook, no offense." Jesse pointed out. 

Ashlyn raised up her hands to say none taken. Ali gave her wife a light kiss on the cheek, "She's practically the snot master right now. But if you don't mind, you could help me cook dinner."

"I'd love to." Jesse replied.

\---

Ali stirred a pot full of Alfredo sauce while Jesse was sautéing a pan full of shrimp and scallops with herbs and lemon. Ali pulled the linguine the boiling water and put it into the Alfredo sauce making to cover all the pieces of pasta.

"Could you toss the shrimp in there when it's done cooking?" Ali asked while she turned her attention to filing a mug with hot water and grabbed a tea bag to let it steep. 

"Got it." Jesse nodded and went back to cooking. 

Ali grabbed the decongestant medicine and poured out the correct dosage before taking both the medicine and the mug of tea over to her whiney wife on the couch. Ashlyn had been complaining about how she couldn't breathe through her nose, or how the vaporizer was running out of water. Most of the time Ali and Jesse mainly ignored her since Ali informed Jesse that Ashlyn liked to be over-the-top because she liked the attention when she was tended to. 

Ali pulled the towel off Ashlyn's now damp head and watched as the steam from the vaporizer. Ashlyn have her smile and Ali could tell that she noticeably looked a lot better than when they were at the store earlier in the day. She held out the dosage of medicine to her wife and then handed her the mug of tea. 

"Drink this, dinner is almost ready." Ali said and gave her a soft kiss. 

Ashlyn smiled with clear appreciation painted within them. "Thank you baby, I wish I could help but I don't want to get yall sick."

"I know, but you're looking a lot better. Just rest up, shower and dinner is coming."

Ashlyn nodded sipped her tea and then draping the towel back over her head.

By the time dinner was finished, Ashlyn came out freshly showered and helped to open a bottle of red wine for Jesse. Since they figured out that Ali was pregnant, Ashlyn hadn't drank any kind of alcohol during their dinners, it just seemed fair that way. 

"So Jesse how've ya been? We haven't heard from you since forever. How come?" Ashlyn asked while twirling pasta on her fork. 

"I told Ali at the store, but I just couldn't face Ali's happiness at the time. I wanted to be the one giving her that happiness and I couldn't come to terms that it war never going to be me. It hurt for really long time but I came to terms to the reality around me and I'm happy for you guys, honestly. Before I saw Ali this morning, I was thinking of how to approach you guys and explain everything but I couldn't think of an appropriate way." Jesse explained.

Ashlyn nodded, "I get it, it's not easy to watch and accept something like, but I'm glad you were able to solve these things on your own. I know you're Ali's best friend and I'm sure she wouldn't want to lose such an important person."

"I wouldn't either. I just how she isn't too mad at me." Jesse said sheepishly. 

Ali snorted. "I'm not mad. I'm just goes you're happy now."

Jesse blew out a breath and jokingly wiped away sweat. "I just dodged a bullet."

"Haha, but on a serious note, you're not going to just up and disappear anymore, right? Because I need to know now." Ali said with a serious expression. 

Jesse nodded, "I'm not leaving, your bestie is here to stay. I mean that."

"That means that I can count you, right, no matter what?" Ali asked and smiled when Jesse nodded. "Great, so that brings me to my next question. Ashlyn and I talked about this to the dead and back before finally deciding to ask you if you wanted to be the godmother of our baby girl? We don't want you to feel pressured about it, but I know I can count on you for anything, and I know that you'd give Ashlyn's and I child the same treatment."

Jesse looked on at both women with surprise clearly in her eyes, "I uh... Wow it'd definitely be an honor but are you guys sure?"

"We're really sure. Believe me, we wouldn't be asking if we weren't sure." Ashlyn clarified. 

"Then yes, I would love to be her godmother." Jesse smiled

Ali grinned and stood to give Jesse a tight hug. "You'll meet your goddaughter in a few weeks and I'm sure you both will love each other."

"She'll love us first then Jesse." Ashlyn joked and sipped her water. 

Jesse snorted, "We'll see snot monster."

Ashlyn whipped her head around to her and narrowed her eyes. "Watch yourself carrot top."

Ali rolled her eyes and went to the fridge to get dessert. The rest of the night went incredibly fine, jokes and funny stories were shared back and forth not to mention the banter between Ashlyn and Jesse was hilarious. Jesse was super interested in the pregnancy books saying that she wanted to be the best godmother she could be and then some. All in all, they couldn't have picked a better godmother for their unborn daughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope godmother Jesse was a better substitution than jealous Jesse :)


	39. From Roots to Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank you to everyone that's stuck around or left comments for this story, you guys are truly great, and I couldn't say thank you enough :) I'll be back again whenever an idea pops up. Stay awesome peeps.

Ashlyn drove both her beautiful wife and their bundle of joy home. Ali had given birth only four days ago to their daughter Elise, whom they were already in love with. Elise was a bit of a chubby baby but both Ashlyn and Ali thought it definitely added to her already immense amount of cuteness. Ashlyn pulled into the driveway of their home and placed a few soft kisses to Ali's lips, effectively rousing her from her slumber.

"Baby we're home." Ashlyn whispered.

Ali laid a hand on her cheek and kissed her again. "Finally, I'm so tired."

"I'll get all the bags and I'll carry Elise too if you want." 

"You're not my pack mule babe, I'll get Elise." Ali smiled and kissed her once more. Kissing her wife was something that she knew herself and Ashlyn would never get tired off. The small showings of affection were always significant to them. 

Ali gently unbuckled their sleeping baby girl and carried her in arms, placing a sweet kiss to her forehead. Ashlyn grabbed their bags and the car seat before going to unlock the the front door to let Ali inside first. The moment Ali flicked on the lights was the moment that all their friends and family popped out from behind the couches and kitchen counter loudly whispering 'Surprise'. Ali nearly jumped out of her skin but kept a firm hold on her daughter as she looked up at the party banner that said 'Welcome Home'.

"Aww thank you guys." Ali smiled as she went around to gently hug each person. "How did you all do this?"

"You should be thanking your tattooed wifey over there." Kyle pointed out while rubbing Dax behind the ears. "Now can I hold my niece?" He said and batted his eyelashes. 

Ali chucked at her child of a big brother and carefully placed Elise in his arms. Grandma Harris quickly flocked over to Kyle and turned to Ali. "Can I hold her next?" She asked with plenty of excitement. 

"Of course you can." Ali said and turned to her wife before giving her a hard kiss. "Thank you for bringing this all together, I can't tell you how boring the hospital was."

Ashlyn hummed on lips, "Mmm you're welcome baby. Chris is out back grilling so maybe we can get the taste of that hospital food out of your mouth."

"He's a lifesaver, and although I'm happy to back home with our baby girl, I have a feeling that it's going to be increasingly difficult to get our family and friends out of our home once the party dies down." Ali jokingly whispered. 

"Yes our baby's a superstar already, she's my second little angel."

"Who's the first?" Ali asked as wrapped her arms around her wife with a kiss to her neck.

Ashlyn leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Babe you've always been my number one angel."

"Okay you two, try not to remind some people that they're still single and stop sucking face." Pinoe yelled across the room but was immediately shushed by both Deb and Tammye. Pinoe gave them a confused look but Kyle spoke. 

"Oh shit B, Elise is waking up." Kyle panicked. His eyes darted to anyone who he thought could help him. 

Ashlyn snorted at her brother-in-law panicking and stood there watching him. Both she and Ali already knew that Elise was surprisingly a very calm newborn, she only cried if she didn't see one of them for a while, wanted to be held or if she was hungry. But Ashlyn right it'd be funny to let the man sweat it out for a while. 

"Ash, Mom, somebody, I don't know what to do!" Kyle pleaded and then looked down to the already awake baby who was staring at him before releasing a sleepy yawn. Kyle's panic immediately calmed down as the baby girl did nothing but look around the room with sleepy eyes and her fingers in her mouth. 

The whole room erupted in laughter once Kyle figured out that Elise wasn't about to cry. 

"Oh go scre-...OW!" Kyle yelped as his sister slapped goes back rather hard. 

Ali perched herself on her wife's lap and gave him a condescending look, "No profanity around Elise."

"Well you could've told me instead of breaking my back." Kyle grumbled and handed Elise off to Grandma Harris who immediately cooed at the little girl. 

"Oh look how much hair she has." Grandma Harris squealed as she ran her fingers gently on Elise's full head of dark brown hair that even begun to curl a bit at the ends like a whole bunch of cow licks in her hair. 

Ashlyn just chuckled at her grandmother's love for babies and eased her wife off her lap before standing. "I'm gonna get us some food from Chris."

"I'm dying for some barbecue, you have no idea." Ali stated while rubbing her stomach. 

"You're wish is my command." Ashlyn said with a sweep of her arm and went out back to the grill. She gave Chris a pat on the back, "Nice job Bubba."

"Sup sis. So how's life now that you're a wife and a mother?" Chris asked as he flipped burgers and small steaks. 

"It's fucking amazing. I'm telling you, when Ali gave birth, my whole life changed right there. I felt like I was next to the toughest women I ever met, and gifted is with our baby girl. I'm telling you, once you see them give birth, your love intensifies to another level you didn't know existed. And she's an amazing mommy, everything just comes to her naturally, I just think Iucked out with her and Elise, I have to most amazing family I can ask for." Ashlyn grinned as she looked through the windows to watch her wife and child. 

"Now I want one." Chris joked. "But seriously Ash, I'm happy for you two. You and Ali are going to be great parents I can see that now."

"Thanks Bubba."

"However, I can also see you chasing away any boyfriend or girlfriend your daughter might get." Chris snickered and plated the burgers. 

Ashlyn crossed her arms with a look. "You damn right I will. She's not dating until thirty and with each other child we might have in the future, their age increases by five years. It may not be fair but I make the rules."

Chris handed her the plate with two burgers and some potato salad. "Uh huh. You mean your Queen, aka Ali your wife, makes the rules. So you might want to discuss that ruling with her before you're in the doghouse."

"We'll see."

"Yea we will see." Chris laughed and patted her back. "Not mention, Elise is gonna have you whipped just like the Mrs with that pout whenever she gets it."

"They're my angels, I would never mind being whipped when it comes to them." Ashlyn said with a lovestruck tone.

"Go on to angels, they're waiting on that food." 

"Oh yea, thank Bubba." Ashlyn thanked before heading back into the beach house and to her wife and child.

Chris watched her go and didn't even notice his wife's arms go around his frame and a kiss pressed to his neck. "What's on your mind babe?" 

"It's just nice to see her like this. I'm happy for them." Chris noted and turned off the grill.

Linda picked up some of the trays of food. "Who isn't. But I can tell something is on your mind."

"What if we had kids of our own, you know? I just see how much joy it brings my sis and Ali, and I can't help but see that for us." Chris explained. 

"Hey, I want kids if you do. We can start trying whenever." Linda leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Now get inside before we have a bunch of hungry people who angry with us."

Chris wrapped an arm around her with a kiss to her temple and led them inside. 

"Finally, I was wondering where the heck the food was." Pinoe groaned dramatically. 

"Sure twiggy." Chris joked and set down the food. 

"It's Gumby, thank you very much." Pinoe corrected and swiped up some food before sitting next to Jesse who currently head Elise. "Who's this cutie patootie!?" She said in one of those ridiculous baby voices that had Elise showing her gum filled sleepy smile that made the entire swoon.

"So has our baby girl made a full circle to all our family members?" Ashlyn asked while munching on her burger.

"Not yet, you're Grandma hogged her up for quite a while..."

"She's your grammy too, you married into it." Ashlyn corrected. 

Ali rolled her eyes and went on. "As I was saying, your Grandma hogged her up for a bit but only Jess and Chris haven't held her yet."

The family members and close friends all hung out some more, watching tv, eating, playing games, joking around with each other, and most of all paying attention to Elise who had fell asleep a few times in between. A few people pouted when Ali took her to go breastfeed, but one stern look from the mother kept them quiet until she came back. Everyone went on with their activities until a certain smell wafted into Kyle's nose as he sat near Jesse as she held Elise.

"Jesus, B! What are you feeding your daughter? That girl dropped a stink bomb." Kyle called out and scooted away from the smell as much as he could. 

Jesse held Elise up at arm's length to either Ali or Ashlyn to take. "I'm with Kyle, this stuff is terrible." She mumbled with her face in her shoulder to avoid the smell. 

"Oh you two are big fools, a little baby poop never killed anyone." Grandma Harris chastised with a disapproving look and wag of her finger. 

Ashlyn kissed her wife before standing, "I got her you crybabies." Ashlyn lifted Elise into her arms and chuckled as she felt her daughter's mouth go around her nose. "Babe, I think she's hungry again."

"Well duty calls, we'll probably be a while but yall know the way out." Ali said as she stood as well. 

Ali walked into the nursery where Ashlyn had a cooing Elise on the diaper change table. Once she cleaned her up well, Ashlyn passed her over to Ali so she could feed her. Ali sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and watched as Elise latched on and began to eat. Ashlyn leaned on the wall watching with pure adoration, her eyes flickered to the clock and whistled softly. 

"Let me go kick out families out there, it's getting late." Ashlyn said. 

Ali snorted, "Good luck. I have a feeling Grandma Harris is gonna be a difficult one to take care of."

"I know right, she's already head over heels for her." Ashlyn said as she left the room only after she placed a kiss on both Ali's and Elise's forehead. She even snuck in a little kids at the top of Ali's breast which earned her a swat.

"Go on and clear out our home." Ali chuckled and moved Elise to her other breast.

Ashlyn went on to the living room, a few of family members and friends were sleeping on the couch, some playing drinking games with Pinoe completely drunk off her ass, and the rest were watching some kind of rom-com movie. Ashlyn clapped her hands together to get their attention. 

"Guys, it's time for yall to go home, it's getting late. I can call some cabs for some of yall but I'm sure the rest can drive themselves home." Ashlyn stated. She was ready for bed and it was definitely time for them to go. 

Jesse helped Pinoe up and waved goodbye, "I'll see you guys soon, I need to get lightweight here home."

Everyone said their goodbyes and continued congratulations as they left. Ashlyn had to practically fight and drag her grandma out of the door but only after she promised to being Elise over to her place for the entire next week. Ashlyn walked back into their home, kicking the door shut behind her with the lock and alarm in place before she turned off the tv and cleaned up both the living room and kitchen. Once everything was done she made her way back into their bedroom where she saw Ali perched up on the headboard with a book open and Elise asleep in the crib in their room. 

Ashlyn leaned down and gently kissed their daughter and ran her thumb softly across her cheek before moving over to sit next to her wife and kiss her cheek before dropping her head into her lap. 

"Baby, you should shower." Ali commented and stroked Ashlyn's hair as she read. 

"It was herding cattle out there." Ashlyn compared and stood. "Oh yea, my grandma practically bought our daughter for an entire week, she wouldn't leave until we compromised."

"She's a piece of work. But we love her so.." Ali shrugged. She heard the shower run as Ashlyn took a quick shower and brush of her teeth. Ashlyn climbed into bed freshly showered and kissed down Ali's arm.

"Let's go to bed." Ashlyn whispered. 

Ali nodded and closed her book, she scooted down into her wife's arms and pulled the blankets around them. 

"You're amazing, you and Elise both. I don't know what I'd do without my two angels." Ashlyn said. 

"The same is always said for you too." Ali replied and looked up at the blonde. "Where's this coming from?"

"I'm saying that I'm proud of everything you've done, everything you've helped me become, the family you've given us." Ashlyn explained as her eyes flickered down to where Dax lay asleep protectively next to Elise's crib before turning back to her wife's chocolate brown eyes. "I love you Alex, I love our family, I just...I don't know how to explain it but you've changed me so much, I couldn't thank you enough for it."

"You always get all mushy on me when I'm tired." Ali said while smiling lovingly at her wife. "Babe, you've done more for me than you could ever imagine. We both helped each other grow, as did others as well, but don't forget that you and Elise and Dax, and maybe even more kids in the future, and all of our family and friends are what I'm thankful for. I know how you feel because I feel the exact same way."

Ashlyn leaned down and kissed her deeply before pulling back. "Who would've thunk, a rich business heir marrying an outstanding florist?"

"From roots to flowers babe, it doesn't need to be predictable or make sense, but everything starts off as roots before becoming what it should be aka growing into a flower. We had our problems, but we're still growing and in a way we're still planting the buds for more flowers." Ali stated. 

"You're so corny, baby." Ashlyn giggled and ran her fingers down her arms. 

"But this corny girl loves you and our family."

"We love you even more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about it and yes this is the end, /.\ I didn't want to drag everything out so far that I ended up destroying the story. But as soon as I get an idea for an epilogue, I'll do it. :D
> 
>  
> 
> And thank you all for showing yall continuous support, it always means a lot. Til next peeps :)


	40. Epilogue : Adding to the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished up the epilogue for this story. It's quite long, I was having a lot of fun with it as I wrote it. Hope you guys enjoy :)
> 
> Happy Holidays!

Ali pushed the shopping cart with their nearly 3 year old daughter Lacey sitting inside, Ashlyn followed close behind while carrying their 5 year old daughter Elise. They were shopping for their first ever family vacation. It was a bit odd since they hadn't actually picked a vacation spot yet, but nonetheless the family was uber excited. However, they had been bouncing some ideas off each other for a while but each woman always had a reason to say no to the other's ideas, Ali more so than Ashlyn. 

"What about an island, like the Caribbean island we went to for Valentine's Day?" Ashlyn asked her wife while giving a free sample of food for Elise to eat. 

Ali shook her head 'no'. "How're are we all as a family going to have fun on an island with a 5 year old and an almost 3 year old?"

"Umm, how exactly couldn't we? Sand, water and food sounds like a good time for children. Isn't that right Ellie?" Ashlyn countered and asked their eldest daughter who was more than occupied with the free sample of peaches her momma gave her.

"M-mommy I want it." Lacey whined with tears nearly in her eyes as her hands reached out for Elise's peaches.

"Don't worry I'm on it." Ashlyn chuckled before jogging back over to the employee at the free sample stand and retrieved more peaches for their little girls. They all knew that when their youngest daughter wanted something, she would get it, otherwise she'd cry and pout until she got whatever it was she wanted. It didn't help that both their daughters had that Krieger pout that always had Ashlyn under a spell. 

"Thank you momma." Lacey smiled and went to town on the peaches. 

"As I was saying, we had to get so many shots before we went there. Can you imagine what these two will be like if they had to get those as well. Screaming children at the sight of needles, then the shot itself and then-"

Ashlyn rolled her eyes at the fact that her wife was completely right, their children were terrified at the sight of needles. "Okay, I get it, you're right."

"I always am." Ali said in a matter of fact tone and continued to fill their carts with food and other essentials. 

"Momma are we going on a trip somewhere?" Elise asked while playing with the loose strands of her momma's blonde hair. 

"We sure are baby girl, your mommy is just being difficult."

"Mommy's dissycoot?" Lacey asked while looking between her parents.

Ali gave her wife a disapproving look as they paid for their items before pulling their cart up to the car. Ashlyn loaded the items into the back of her silver Mercedes-Benz cla 250 while Ali placed their children in their child seats. Ashlyn sure did miss her old sports car but after Ali and her G-Ma nearly chewed her head off about putting Elise, their only child at the time, in that "death trap", she promptly sold it and bought her second car baby, the Mercedes-Benz. She'd never tell Ali or her grandma, but she really had no problem selling her sports car, she just loved acting like it was a big deal. 

They arrived at their beach home and brought in the items they bought while their children ran straight to the TV to watch cartoons. 

"What if we went to like a ski lodge or something? We could try snowboarding or skiing." Ashlyn asked while placing the food away. 

Ali thought about it for a little before shaking her head, "No, our babies would be way too cold. Plus they have no idea on how to ski or snowboard, could you imagine them hurting themselves trying? I don't know if I could take that." Ali's voice was cracking at the thought of her little babies getting hurt. 

"Babe, you're worse than me when you were pregnant both times." Ashlyn said with a chuckle as she looked at her wife. 

"I can't help it. They're just so soft, cute and fragile, it makes me want to keep them safe forever if I could." Ali pouted truthfully. 

Ashlyn leaned over the counter and kissed her wife soundly. "I hear you loud and clear mama bear. But we need to figure out where we're going and soon. That means you can't keep rejecting my ideas when you don't even have any."

"Okay baby." Ali pulled her back in for another deep kiss. She felt a tiny hand grip the side of her grey sundress, she broke the kiss with her wife in order to look down and was met with large hazel eyes on the verge of filling with tears. "Aww baby what's wrong?"

"I wan kisses too mommy." Lacey whined while reaching her hands up to be carried. 

Ali grabbed her little girl, gave her kisses and picked her up, resting her on her hip. "You okay now baby?" She kissed her forehead when she felt her nod and lay her head into her chest. She saw her wife whispering into their eldest daughter's ear and was automatically entranced with what she could've possibly told Elise. She figured she was about to figure out when she saw her daughter walking up to her. 

"Mommy?" Elise said with a little smile while fiddling with her little sister's toes.

"Yes Sweetheart?" Ali answered while putting together dinner. 

"Momma said...wait no..." Elise stopped and gave a hard look of concentration to remember what her Momma just told her.

Ali's eyes flickered up to her wife whose head was in her palms avoiding the playful glare Ali was most likely giving her.

"Ohh! I said we should go camping!" Elise chirped before turning to her momma with a look. "I did good momma?"

Ali cracked a smile when Ashlyn's jaw dropped to ground. "Yea babe, our baby did good right?"

"You did amazing baby girl." Ashlyn replied and sank into her recliner. Dax jumped into her lap and made himself comfortable despite his very large size. Ashlyn scratched behind his ears, giving him all the attention he wanted. "You would want to go camping with momma, wouldn't you? All the open greenery you could run through."

Dax gave her an intrigued look before licking her face excitedly while wagging his tail. Ashlyn flipped on the TV to some business channel. 

"Babe come eat." Ali called out as she helped their daughters cut up their small steaks and roasted fingerling potatoes. She felt her wife come up behind her and turned to kiss her.

"Mmm thank you for dinner babe." Ashlyn said with a squeeze and another kiss to her wife's lips. She went around the table and kissed both of her little angels on the crown of their heads, got Dax his bowls of food and water before taking her seat to eat. 

"So did you think about the camping option?" Ashlyn questioned while cutting into her steak. 

"I have, and what I came to was the fact that there are bears, bugs, and too much mud. What if a bear came and attacked us, or if one of our babies got lost? Could you even imagine what we'd do? How would we even survive that situation?" Ali replied with enough emotion in her tone to share. 

Ashlyn subtly rolled her eyes at her extremely dramatic wife. Coming up with a family vacation was going to be a lot harder than Ashlyn initially thought.

They finished up dinner, Ashlyn started up the bath for their daughters while Ali cleaned up the dishes and took Dax out to pee. Ashlyn towel dried their children and got them dressed before reading them each a story and tucking them in bed. 

"Momma." 

"Yes baby?" Ashlyn said as she turned her attention to Lacey who stared at her with those big hazel eyes that always reduced her to a puddle. 

"Are we gonna go camping?" Lacey asked with an underlying whine. 

Ashlyn didn't want to get her hopes up but she also didn't want her to go to sleep sad. "I don't know baby, I have to talk to mommy to make sure. But when I know for sure, I'll definitely tell you."

Lacey gave a big smile before nodding ecstatically. "Okay momma." 

"Okay, goodnight baby girl." Ashlyn said as she kissed her forehead and smoothed her dirty blonde hair back. 

"I wanna go camping too momma." Elise squeaked from her place in her bed. 

"Don't worry sweet pea, I'm gonna ask mommy. Now sleep tight baby." Ashlyn kissed her forehead and was about to pull away when she felt her wife's warm hands caress her shoulders and her scent fill her senses. She watched Ali kiss each of their little girl's foreheads and whisper "goodnight babies, mommy loves you", before she pulled Ashlyn to their bedroom and shut the door behind her. 

"Babe you know we have to pick a vacation spot very soon, right?" Ashlyn stated, oblivious to her wife seating her on the bed and crawling into her lap in order to run hot, open mouthed kisses down her neck. 

"Yea I know." Ali replied off handedly while unbuttoning Ashlyn's dress shirt. 

Ashlyn's quirked an eyebrow and gently pulled Ali back. "What do you mean 'you know'? You haven't said anything that makes me think you even want to go on this vacation. I mean, I thought you'd love the idea of it but it seems like you're totally against everything I could possibly think of."

Ali sat back on her wife's knees and leaned to kiss her lips gently. "Baby of course I want us to go on our first family vacation. I am worried of a few things but overall I was just busting your balls. If you and surprisingly our little girls want to go camping, then let's go camping."

"Really?! So you were sooo dissycoot all day just to bust my balls?" Ashlyn said with a smirk. 

Ali snorted at her wife's word choice and patted her chest. "Yup. Getting dirty in the woods isn't my thing but I'll suck it up for my favorite people in the whole world, plus Dax can come with us right?"

"Heck yea, I made sure of it. Honestly, I was banking on the possibility of you and kids wanting to go camping. Since I have a cabin up in Virginia." Ashlyn stated. 

Ali smiled and leaned back in to kiss her harder. "Mmm I love you so much."

"Give me a second to show you how much I love you." Ashlyn growled with a smirk, before flipping her wife on her back and covering her body with her own. 

~~~

The family rose early in the morning so that Ashlyn could get their children ready while Ali packed everything that they'd need, and then extra of course because over packing was better than under packing. They finished up the morning routine and Ali buckled up their little girls and popped the trunk of the family SUV for Dax to hop in while Ashlyn loaded up the bags. Ashlyn noticed the heaviness of the bags but after knowing her wife for so long, she wasn't surprised by the large weights of their suitcases anymore. 

"Momma we're going camping?!" Elise all but shrieked from her pace in the booster seat. 

"That's right Sweet Pea, we're going to go on a airplane that's going to take us all the way to Virginia." Assign said over her shoulder while driving to the airplane hanger.

"Really?!" Elise squealed which prompted Lacey to do exactly the same until their car was filled with squealing children and a very loud Golden Retriever that decided to join in on the noise making with his howls. 

"Yes Sweet Pea, and we're gonna visit Gampy and Gammy too!" Ashlyn said loudly over the noise.

Lacey clapped her hands excitedly, "I can't wait to see Gammy and Gampy!"

"We'll be there soon baby." Ali assured and turned in her seat to give their daughters snacks and juice boxes. 

Ashlyn parked the SUV in the allotted space before both she and Ali helped their children from the vehicle, Dax included. The employees at the airplane hanger helped take their over packed suitcases up into the jet. Dax jumped up the steps and into the jet, already making himself comfortable on the small couch in the jet. Ashlyn held Elise's hand as the climbed the steps while Ali held Lacey's hand.

Once their their girls finally stopped asking a million questions, the jet finally took off which made Dax bark loudly and Lacey cry when she felt her ears pop, Elise looked to be having the time of her life though. 

Ali quickly took her little girl into her lap and covered her face in kisses before allowing her to snuggle into her chest. 

"Momma we're flying! We're flying!" Elise squealed and banged on the window as the jet soared through the clouds. 

"We sure are Sweet Pea." Ashlyn replied as she finalized some last minute things on her laptop. 

By the time the jet landed in Virginia both kids were fast asleep. Ali gently pulled heavy coats, gloves and boots on their little girls before moving over to Dax. Ashlyn picked up both their babies while Ali gently roused Dax from his sleep so they could exit the jet. A prearranged SUV was waiting for them when they disembarked the jet, when everything and everyone was loaded into the car, they took off towards Ali's parent's home. 

Kyle is waiting for them on the porch and hopped up when he saw their vehicle approaching. "Hey booboos!"

Ali got out of the car once Ashlyn put it in park, she wrapped her arms around her burly brother and kissing his cheek. "I missed you so much."

"She's saying that for show. She never even mentions you." Ashlyn jokes while carrying both if their daughters and Dax followed closely behind her. 

"Oh I know." Kyle laughed and lightly flicked his sister's forehead before turning to Ashlyn with his arms extended. "Now lemme carry one of my cutey patootie nieces."

Ali rolled her eyes at her brother and wife. She grabbed one of their bags since they were only going to stay with her parents for a day. They made it inside quickly to avoid as much snowfall as they could.they were immediately met with the delicious smells of dinner coming from the kitchen. 

"Eeek! My babies are are here!" Deb all but hurt everyone's eardrums as she ran to to smother her grand babies in lots of kiss. By the end of her assault, Elise and Lacey were completely giggling with happiness. Deb gave her daughter a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before going over to her daughter-in-law and giving her the same treatment.

"I'm so happy you guys are her! It's a good thing I made a large dinner." Deb grinned before giving her grandchildren another kiss and going back into the kitchen.

"Unka Ky?" Lacey asked while touching his beard. 

"What's up munchkin?"

"Where's Gampy?" 

Just then the front door opened to reveal Ken holding a few grocery bags as he shut the door behind him. 

"Ooo look at that, there he is right there." Kyle said in a childish voice that drew in Lacey's attention and already made her squirm around in her uncle's arms. Both Kyle and Ashlyn put down the little girls so they could say hello to their grandparents.

"Hey munchikins." Ken quickly placed the shopping bags down and lifted his granddaughters up. "Oh I was wondering whose big SUV was out there."

"I miss you Gampa." Lacey said with her head in the crook of Ken's neck. 

"I missed you too Gampa." Elise grinned at their Grandpa. 

"I missed both of you munchkins." Ken smiled and kissed both of their foreheads before putting them down and hugging his children, Ashlyn included. 

"Why didn't you two tell me yall were coming up here?" Ken asked as he kissed his wife hello. 

"My wonderful wifey wants to take us camping, and she owns a cabin down here. And my little babies wanted to see their grandparents." Ali cooed as her daughters came to her to say random things that only they could understand and follow. 

"What doesn't Ash own? My sister has her very own Sugar Mama." Kyle snorted and crossed his arms as he sat on the couch. 

"Har har chicken shi- OW!" Ashlyn shouted while rubbing her arm that her wife just punched.

Ali gave her a hard glare, "No cursing."

"Yes Sargeant!" Both Ashlyn and Kyle said in congruence while fending off Ali. Ashlyn wrapped her wife in a tight hug while Kyle tickled her hard. 

"Give it up babe." Ashlyn giggled. Her hold loosened when she felt the small body of Lacey climb onto her chest and stick her fingers in her nose and mouth. "Ahh Lacey, what're doing?"

"I'm helping mommy." Lacey giggled. 

"Omphf" Kyle groaned when Elise jumped onto his back along with Dax. "Okay, I tap out!"

"Okay, you don't goose, dinner is ready so come eat before someone gets a black eye." Deb called out. 

~~~

The morning came around and the family said goodbye to Ken, Deb and Kyle before embarking on their drive to the cabin. The car ride was filled with "I Spy", "What Letter is That?", songs, and just plain noise from their children and Dax. By the time they got to the large cabin, Elise, Lacey and Dax were nearly bursting out of their seats.

Ashlyn and Ali removed the seat belts from their children and helping them out if the SUV before popping open the trunk so Dax could practically barrel out of the SUV. The cabin itself was very large and the area around it was even larger. Ali didn't even notice that there was a gate that prevented random people from coming in unless they had the gate passcode. 

They all played in the Virginia snow, whether if it were by chasing Dax and the children, building snowmen with the children or just doing something random that made Dax bark happily and their little girls squeal in happiness. Ashlyn was a large catalyst in her wife's fun filled screams. She chased her around with palms full of snow while threatening to dump it down her chest. Much to Ali's dismay, her wife succeeded, causing her to let out a shrill that even made Dax give them his attention. 

After their playtime ceased, Ashlyn and Ali got their babies cleaned, Dax included before Ali picked out adorable onesies for everyone that were a sure fire way to keep them completely warm and toasty. Elise and Lacey's were covered in cartoon snowmen, Dax had pictures of snow and Christmas lights, while both Ali's and Ashlyn's were covered in red with the cuffs in white and on the back of Ali's it said Mrs.Clause and on the back of Ashlyn's it said Mrs.Clause as well. 

Ashlyn set the table with hot Mac and cheese in a cat iron skillet and barbecued chicken while her family got warm by the fire. There was a TV and computer in the cabin, Ashlyn put them in there in case she wanted some "alone time" with her wife and the children needed a distraction. 

When dinner was finished and both children were in bed, Ashlyn kissed a sleeping Dax's forehead before unzipping her onesie while quietly running to her bedroom. Her jaw dropped when she saw Ali laying on her side in a red lace Babydoll, looking at her with a sultry look. Ashlyn unconsciously licked her lips and slowly approached her beyond sexy wife. 

"How on earth did you buy this without me even knowing?" Ashlyn asked while mesmerized in the fabric and how it hung on her wife's body. 

Ali leaned up to kiss her wife deeply before pulling back with a smirk. "I do a lot of things without you knowing. I like to think that you'll love the surprise."

"You thought right." Ashlyn nodded before slipping her tounge into her mouth and moaning into their kiss as she felt Ali's tounge lightly scrape her tounge and then bite her bottom lip. Ashlyn would be lying if she said she didn't love the rough nature that Ali could bring in their bedroom, because she was an absolute sucker for it. 

Ali pushed Ashlyn down on her back before slowly raising her left leg to move over her wife's already half naked body. "You already got undressed for me?" She practically purred into her wife's ear as she took in the onesie that was off her torso and around her waist. She ran her hands over her shoulders, over the sports bra, onto her defined abs and back under the sports bra. 

"Holy shit baby." Ashlyn panted as her hands went over Ali's toned thighs and went to rest on the swell of her firm ass. Her eyes closed as she felt Ali's hands roam over her breasts before she felt something cold and hard brush against her skin. "Alex wha-"

Ali's finger pressed to her lips to quiet her. She carefully cut the sports bra so it could be spread apart for easy access to her breasts. Ali placed the scissors on the bedside before leaning down to suck the pink nipples. Ashlyn's grip tightened on her ass, indicating her impatience. Ali released her nipple with a loud pop sound before kissing down to her v-line and looking up at her with a smirk. 

"I need you so badly baby." Ashlyn panted, taking her wife's hand and placing it into her tight boxer briefs.

"You are very impatient tonight, even though you had no idea that I was even going to surprise you like this." Ali teased as she moved her tantalizingly show through her wife's wet folds, rubbing her engorged clit ever so lightly. 

"I was kind of hoping to- ah ah fuck baby." Ashlyn moaned as two of her wife's fingers pushed into her center, robbing her if her ability to think and even speak. Ali's tempo picked up and reduced Ashlyn to a mess of soft moans before she felt Ali's fingers leave her core.

Ali pushed down the rest of the onesie before pushing up one of Ashlyn's thighs and taking her into mouth. 

"Oh baby." Ashlyn moaned as Ali's lips surrounded her clitoris while her tounge drew shapes on the bundle of nerves. Ali's fingers kept pumping until she fell apart on Ali's fingers. "Shit, god damn that was amazing. You're amazing." Ashlyn breathed and pulled Ali up to kiss her deeply. 

"I love you." Ali mumbled into their kiss. "I have something to-"

Ashlyn pulled away with a grin, "I have a surprise for you." Ashlyn jumped up from the large bed and did a weird waddle run with her bare butt facing Ali, since her onesie was around her ankles. 

Ali propped herself up on her elbow to watch her wife dig through a duffel bag that she had no idea she brought with them. Ashlyn popped back up with a harness and a decent sized flesh colored dildo and one of the most sexiest grins Ali's had ever seen from her. 

"Ooo I like this already." Ali smiled and watched as Ashlyn put the harness on and put the dildo in the correct place. She giggled a bit when she saw the fake appendage hang there but nonetheless thought her wife was sexy. She quickly spread her legs as Ashlyn climbed in-between and kissed her deeply. 

"Ash, I'm already ready." Ali breathed heavily already as her wife's fingers teased between her folds. 

Ashlyn just gave her a subtle nod before practically worshipping Ali's body. From gently removing the red lace Babydoll, swirling her tounge over pink nipples while her hands massaged her wife's creamy breasts. She could feel Ali pushing her hips up to grind onto the strap-on for any kind of friction, and since Ashlyn loved to tease, she continuously moved her hips away from Ali's to reduce the amount of friction she could receive. 

Ali reached her hands down to Ashlyn's ass, giving it a hard squeeze before giving it a pinch as well. "If you don't fuck me right now, I swear."

"And you called me impatient." Ashlyn mumbled into her neck before moving all the way down to slip her tounge into Ali's entrance and moan at the taste of her. She moved back up and ran the head of the strap-on through Ali's glistening folds to get it more than lubed up before slowly pushing in. 

Ali's legs tightened around Ashlyn's back as her head feel back onto the pillow with a moan. "Oh baby, you feel so good." The pleasure of Ashlyn filling her up was almost too much that Ali seriously thought she cum right then and there, but she held on. 

"You like my cock filling you up, huh?" Ashlyn said on her lips before kissing her hard and letting her get accustomed to it before she could move. 

"Fuck yes, move already." Ali begged and groaned in complete pleasure when Ashlyn's hips moved out, only to push back in, completely bottoming out and rendering her speechless. 

Ashlyn moved slowly for a while but Ali's insistent ass grabs were enough to speed up her thrusts to an amazing tempo for Ali. She moaned herself when she could feel Ali's walls clenching around the strap-on, pulling her back each time with every thrust back. She knew Ali was close and was going to make sure her orgasm was great. 

With each thrust, Ashlyn was bottoming out, hard. The strap-on was hitting Ali's g-spot and leaving her without the ability to form words. She felt herself being pushed over the edge and nearly cried out when Ashlyn's thumb rubbed hard circles on her clit. 

"Cum on my cock baby." Ashlyn panted in her ear and kept thrusting. 

Ali bit down on Ashlyn's shoulder to stop her from yelling because of one of the most intense orgasms she'd ever experienced. She released her but as soft moans left her lips as Ashlyn continued to slowly fuck her, helping her come down from her orgasm. 

"Wow, I think I love camping." Ali chuckled breathlessly and kissed Ashlyn's now red shoulder as she gently pulled out. 

Ashlyn discarded the strap-on into the duffel bag and kissed her wife soundly. "I can't tell you how much I love it when you bite me when you cum. Freaking sexy, Alex."

Ali snuggled into her side, "What can I say, you get me that far gone."

~~~

Ashlyn grumbled as she felt small hands push on her face and a smaller body sit on her torso. "Ommpf."

"Momma wake up, we made you breakfast." Elise prodded while patting her momma's face. 

Ashlyn cracked an eye open and saw her two little girls in bed with Dax at the foot of the bed and Ali on her side holding a breakfast tray. She took Lacey off of her clothed torso and sat up, giving all of her favorite women a kiss and rubbed Dax's head. 

"Thank you guys for breakfast, I love it." Assign thanked as she shared the large breakfast with them. 

"You remember last night, when I tried to tell you about another surprise but you didn't let me get it out?" Ali questioned. Ashlyn nodded while chewing the piece of bacon. "Sweethearts give momma the card."

Elise and Lacey scampered off the bed and ran out of the bedroom before coming back in with an envelope in their hands. Ashlyn lifted then back onto the bed, and took the card. 

"I wonder what this could be?" She mumbled as she penned the enveloped and opened the card. It was a little picture drawn by their little girls. It contain stick mini stick figures labeled Elise and Lacey, then a stick figure dog labeled Dax, a tall stick figure with blonde hair labeled Momma, and another slightly shorter stick figure with brown hair carrying a very small stick figure both with the labels Mommy and baby Harris.

Ashlyn's eyes scanned over the picture again and again before kissing her little girls again and then turning to her wife to give her a deep kiss. "You're pregnant?" She asked with a smile and tears already firming in her eyes. 

"Yes baby, this is the other surprise." Ali nodded as tears already fell from hers.

They weren't sure if they weer going to have another baby when they decided to try IVF for the last time. They had birth agreed that they'd be more than happy that they were blessed already with two children, but if they could have another they would definitely welcome it. So when they tried again, they were supposed to go and check to see if it was successful, but Ashlyn got swamped with travel meetings, so Ali just went by herself. Ashlyn thought they were going to check after they came back from vacation but learning it life this was better than she could've imagined. 

"I love you so much Alex." Ashlyn said before kissing her firmly once more while using her thumbs to wipe away her tears. 

"I love you too Ashlyn."

Lacey tugged on her Mommy's shirt to get her attention. "Mommy, no more crying. We gonna have a baby."

"Yea mommy, it's happy times." Elise added. 

Both Ashlyn and Ali chucked at their daughters and nodded simultaneously. Ashlyn leaned down and kissed Ali's stomach before pulling Lacey into her lap, Elise and Ali into her sides and allowing Dax to rest on her calves. She couldn't have asked for a more loving and amazing family, everything she could ever want was right here with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always a pleasure to write for you guys :D I'll be back with another story soon :)
> 
> Thank you all for the support, I couldn't ask for better readers :)

**Author's Note:**

> I've written a few chapters ahead of time, but my goodness do they need to be edited lol :D
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me how you like it.


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